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THE HEART GOD FORMS
After God’s Own Heart | Part 2
Senior Pastor Keith Stewart
October 4, 2026

David and Goliath is the story everybody knows. But Goliath wasn’t the battle that formed David. Goliath was the battle that made David famous. Saul was the battle that made David ready. For years, David lived on the run—betrayed, hunted, hiding in caves, and waiting for a promise from God that seemed no closer to fulfillment. Yet those wilderness years were not wasted years. They were the place where God formed David’s heart. What if the delays, opposition, and wilderness seasons we desperately want to escape are actually some of the places where God does His deepest work in us?

Join us this weekend as we discover what David learned in the wilderness—and what God may be forming in us through ours.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. The message makes the distinction: “Goliath was the battle that made David famous. Saul was the battle that made David ready.” What do you think that means? Why might prolonged adversity form us in ways that a single victory cannot?
2. David was anointed king long before he actually became king. What is difficult about trusting God when you believe He is leading you somewhere, but circumstances seem to be moving in the opposite direction?

3. The message describes patience as more than simply waiting—it is learning to live faithfully and fully in the present moment. What makes us so eager to escape uncomfortable seasons? What might God want to teach us while we are there?

4. “The wilderness exposes what’s really inside our hearts.” What has a difficult season revealed to you about yourself—your fears, priorities, attachments, strengths, or relationship with God?

5. David's wilderness could have made him bitter, but instead much of his pain became prayer. The message distinguishes lament from grumbling: lament honestly expresses pain while continuing to move toward God. What would it look like for you to turn more of your complaints into lament?

6. When Saul unexpectedly entered David's cave, David had the perfect opportunity to end his suffering and accelerate God's promise. Discuss this statement: “A God-given promise does not justify a God-forbidden shortcut.” Where are we most tempted to justify questionable means because we believe the desired outcome is good?

7. David had the power to harm the person who had repeatedly tried to harm him—and refused to use it. What does the way we use power reveal about what God has formed in our hearts?

8. The message says, “There may come a time when you have the power to personally destroy someone who has hurt you. And that is precisely when the heart God has formed in you is revealed.” Without sharing anything inappropriate or confidential, have you ever faced a situation where retaliation was possible and even understandable? What made choosing grace difficult?

9. David refused to retaliate against Saul, but Jesus takes this even further: He responds to His enemies with sacrificial love. How does Jesus change the way Christians should think about enemies, retaliation, self-protection, and forgiveness?

10. The conclusion describes Christians as “surprising people”—people whose grace is unexpected in a culture accustomed to retaliation and self-interest. Which of these challenges you most right now: forgiving when retaliation is expected, relinquishing an advantage you could exploit, or loving someone you have reason to consider an enemy?

Closing question: If your present circumstances are part of God's formation of your heart, what might God be forming in you right now that you could not learn as easily under different circumstances?