There are many stories of great people in the bible. God, since the beginning of time,
called man according to His plan for their lives and wanted man to both thrive and live within his
creation. After the fall of Adam, and the entering of sin into the world, there became a need for
men and women of God to keep the faith strong in the world. In this paper I’m choosing to focus
on Noah and David, two men who would be remembered for generation for strong faith in God.
Noah, and his story, showed great obedience to God and by his faith. I am inspired by Noah and
his great trust in God. He never lost his faith despite the circumstances. David, on the other hand,
was the foretold king of Israel who faced Goliath the giant. He would be known for this great
task and for his strength and trust in God. Another thing David was known for was his call by
God to build the holy temple. He also wrote the Psalms, which are songs of praise given to God
that can be used for beautiful reflections. I am inspired by David because of his courage to faith
the giant, his willingness to follow God’s plan for his life and his great praise he gave to God.
When God called, Noah answered. The world at this point in the bible had fallen into
deep sin. In Genesis, “The Lord was sorry that he had made the earth, and it grieved him to his
heart.” It was chaos and God was not found it in. He knew that He had to do something. He saw
Noah, a man faithful to Him and called him to help save the earth. God asked Noah to begin to
build an ark that would survive the flood that was about to cover the earth. God asked Noah to
bring both his family and two of many types of animals with him. God had created the earth
beautiful and wanted His people to thrive. God did not want His creation to be wiped out. By
Noah bringing both his family and the animals, a new world would be able to live because of
them. Noah and his family were God’s chosen people. It was said, “Noah did all that the Lord
had commanded him.”
When God first called Noah to build the ark many people thought he was crazy. It was at
a time people did not believe in God, nor listen to any of his laws. Noah heard God’s call and
knew that something needed to happen. When Noah started building the ark people started
making fun of him for it. They did not believe Noah’s faith in God’s word to be relevant. They
did not choose to pay attention to what was about to Noah. He never lost faith despite what
people said about him. In the end, because he obeyed, Noah, his family, and the animals were
saved. His faith in God payed off. It allowed him to escape the great flood.
God fulfilled his promises and gave Noah a new land and made a covenant with him. The
promise that God gave Noah to never flood the earth again is something I find comforting. God
promised he would never take away from his people and would give them a land filled with
many blessings where they could prosper. God showed a sign of his promise by bringing forth a
rainbow. This represented the many gifts he would now give to his people.
The story of Noah inspires me because of his great trust and obedience to God. He was
able to listen to God even when he being made fun of for his actions. He relied on God and
trusted him to get him through. He built the ark out of this confidence and even though he was
afraid and at sea for forty days and forty nights, he did not despair. He kept his family strong and
never lost hope. His faith in God brought him through and God showed his goodness
to him after it was all over. I am inspired by his character because of the ridicule he faced while
building the ark. Many people believed he was crazy and did not understand why he would do
such a thing. Noah did not care what they thought and was able to only be concerned with what
God wanted for him.
Now, when talking about David, perhaps the most relevant and important story that
David became known for was when he faced the giant. The Israelites were at war with the
Philistines and were losing badly. The Philistines had a weapon, a man who became known as a
giant who could conquer any army that went up again him. King Saul was at a loss. When David
came into the picture, no one believed such a small boy with only a sling and some stones could
even come close to conquering this giant. David though, was called by God to conquer Goliath
and was not afraid. When facing Goliath he said, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear
and with a javelin; but I could to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of
Israel, whom you have defied.” He found his courage in God and did not even hesitate when he
faced Goliath. He faced the giant and won. All the Israelites and especially King Saul could not
believe it. David showed a powerful example of faith.
One would think that after David faced Goliath and won everyone would praise him and
he would live out the rest of his life content, but God had other plans. David was the foretold
new king of Israel and was anointed by Samuel. After this happened, King Saul became jealous.
For years, David had to run from the wrath of Saul. He encountered many trials along the way,
but by his faith and trust and God he never grew weary. He knew God had a plan and with
patience and understanding he was even able to forgive Saul for all the evil he was trying to
inflict on him.
Besides David’s most known story, he became best remembered for his writing of the
Psalms. In the bible, these are beautiful, song-like verses that touch and inspire the heart of those
reading them. While some talk about praise, for instance, “Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to
the Lord with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation. Great are the
works of the Lord, studied by all who have pleasure in them.” While others many touch on
sadness and consolation, for instance, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want; he makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” Psalms have inspired all those who read them. One
of the reasons I chose David was because of his Psalms and the impact those have had on my
life. The Psalm, “May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with
peace!” Has been one of my favorites and brought me comfort in times in trouble. When I’ve
struggled this helped remind me to keep my eyes on God even in the midst of trials. God alone is
my strength.
Noah and David, two great heroes in the Bible. Noah’s great faith, obedience to God, and
trust in His plan saved him from the world-wide flood and brought him and his family safely to a
new home. Noah was able to bring about an effort for a newer and better creation. Noah inspired
many by his faith and has left a mark on me. I hope that through the example of reading about
Noah, I too can heave great faith and show trust in him even when things don’t make sense to
me. David, on the other hand, was the foretold king of Israel. His most famous story was when
he fought Goliath the Philistine. He faced the giant with courage and strength given to him by
God and did not listen to the voices of the people telling him he could not do it. He listened to
God and became a great king. He held onto God through the midst of the trials he faced with
running from Saul and stayed strong and steadfast in his faith. He wrote the Psalms, arguably
some of the best passages in the Bible that have brought comfort to many people including me.
God offered consolation in times of trouble. David inspired me because when he faced his giant,
he wasn’t ever afraid. It is like in my life, when I face things that may scare me I can use the
example of David and face them with courage in God.