Favorites VI

One of the first Biblical stories many of us read and learned as children was the one about David and Goliath.  The story of this shepherd boy turned giant killer shows up in the 17th chapter of I Samuel.  His brothers were at the battlefield when Jesse sent his son, David, to deliver some battle snacks to his brothers.  Hardly had David gotten to the battlefield when Goliath challenged the soldiers of Israel and to the young boy's amazement, none stepped forward.  In the absence of others, David volunteered.  Though given the king's finest armor, David laid it aside and gathered five stones from a nearby creek.   The 40th verse of the chapter records that moment, "Then he took his staff in his hand, and chose five stones from the wadi, and put them in his shepherd's bag, in the pouch; his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine."     

Any preacher can find a hundred good sermons in the story, but the one which always stood out to this worn out preacher was the one about the stones.  David took into battle not the fine armament of skilled craftsman, but some stones God had created and placed in the bed of the creek.  David picked up five up them, perhaps, to provide the security of a second thrown.  Of course, though David carried five, he needed only one.    

We often do as David did.  When we face huge challenges, we carry a thousand "what if's" into the fray when all we need is the empowerment provided by the Spirit.  When confronted with difficulties, we fill up our pouch with the advice of those who appear to know what to do, but all we really need is a single word from God that will prove to be more than enough to direct our path and to overcome whatever challenge lies before us.  The boy David was confident God would deliver and prevail.  We could use a good dose of that childlike faith when we face our giants.