Leading when the going gets tough

I wonder if you’ve had to fight any giants recently? Or nearly drowned in a storm at sea? Probably not, yet these two well-known stories from Scripture – David and Goliath and Jesus calming a storm – have much they could teach us. In particular, as part of our series on leadership, these stories have some challenging insights.

Saul was king over Israel yet he – along with the rest of Israel’s army – is terrified by the physical size and presence of Goliath. He doesn’t know what to do. When David offers to fight Goliath, Saul cautions David but allows him to face Goliath anyway, alone. One might conclude that Saul demonstrates canny leadership, letting others fight his battles for him. Or one might conclude that Saul fails dismally in his role as leader and in his duty of care for David.

In the second story, the disciples are crossing Lake Galilee in a small boat at night along with Jesus. When a storm suddenly erupts they panic, and like Saul, do not know what to do. What is their leader, Jesus, doing meanwhile? He is fast asleep at the back of the boat. Is Jesus also being derelict in his leadership responsibilities? When the disciples wake Jesus, he takes charge of the situation, speaks to the waves and the wind, and everything becomes calm.

What might we learn about leadership from these two stories? Leaders will almost certainly face tough situations that they may well not know how to deal with. Both David and Jesus demonstrate an important lesson for Christian leaders. Rather than being paralysed by fear or relying on just our own resources, leaders seek out and trust in God’s provision and wisdom and then show courage by acting. When the going gets tough may we learn to do the same.

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