Five Stones

"Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd's bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine." 1 Samuel 17: 40 Since I was a little girl, one of my favorite Bible stories is David and Goliath. When I read it as an adult to my little boy, I can't help but visualize of how that day of battle might have taken place. Let's look at the story more closely... I can just see David, this young shepherd boy who came to The Valley of Elah that day, bringing lunch to his big brothers. I am sure when David left, he didn't think bringing some cheese and bread would turn into such an eventful day! How creepy it must have been to hear the loud, obnoxious voice of a nine foot giant, yelling and screaming death threats! As his brothers shared their frustrations and fears of this angry man named Goliath, David listened. In 1 Samuel 17 verse 26, David couldn't believe that someone would actually challenge the 'armies of the living God'. Out of all the things David could have said, he is more worried about this man challenging the power of his God! No wonder the rest of them looked at him like, "This guy is going to kill us and your worried about what God thinks?" But you see, that is why David is known for having that phenomenal relationship with God. David immediately is defensive of his God. How often do we think about God's feelings in our battles? Then, David stands to basically say, "Well, I'll fight him." God's word says that people around him took this gesture as being arrogant and conceited. But the confidence that David exhibits, comes from the fact that he already knew the outcome of this battle. Why? Because he knew his Lord. David had such a close relationship with God that he knew God would prevail. I don't think he cared much about the 'how', but the outcome was a sure thing. We fail at this time and time again. We have a battle and then we worry and stress over the outcome. Why? Because we don't know the one who holds the outcome. The more I read God's word and the more time I spend with Him, the less doubts I find that come in my head. The worry is diminished because I know God is for my good. God has shown me that David agreed to fight Goliath because he knew he was only the 'body' that God would use. It was God's battle; not David's. David could have made it his battle, but he knew from the beginning and continued to remember that the battle was the Lord's (vs 45 ). Then I noticed that David meets with Saul because (let's face it) everybody wanted to meet this fool that was going to take on this giant! Saul gives David an armor. David refused. God then leads David to pick 5 smooth stones for his slingshot. It is interesting to me that David refused the defense the King offered him. Often times, we are in a battle in our life. And rather than trust what God gives us to fight with, we feel we need more protection, so we put on whatever the world suggests. The world suggests alcohol/drugs to numb things just a little; it suggests that maybe we just need to run away from it all; the world suggests harsh words that lash and cut; the world suggests we fight with self-help books and talk shows; the world suggests we hold resentment and put only distance between us and the ones who hurt us. Then we wonder why we feel as though we are drowning and the battle rages on. God gave David 5 stones. Not 4, not 6...5 stones. David had these 5 stones, a staff, and a sling shot. If I were David, I probably would have said, "God, are you kidding? Don't you think I need at least some kind of little dagger or a sharp- kind- of- something?!!! How about a bigger rock at least!!" David picked up the defense God gave him and defeated that giant. I guess what I am trying to say is that I want to be content with God in battle. I want to trust Him with every single aspect of my life. I want Him to control every part of me; my mind, my heart, my body. With this trust, I will be able to fight with whatever and however He leads. God placed this story on my heart tonight. I know many of us are facing battles in our lives at this very moment. If you are God's child, He promises to be your defender. I noticed that none of the circumstances surrounding David ever became an obstacle for him. He never said, "I'm too small; I'm too young; I'm not skilled; everybody is talking about me and saying I can't do this." David knew none of these factors changed the outcome of the battle. David knew who was 'really' fighting this battle. How often we get side-tracked by the obstacles around us. For you see, it wasn't the 5 stones that defeated Goliath, and it wasn't the boy who slung them...it was God's power which came because of David's obedience to fight the way God wanted. We have to remember that if we ask God to fight the battle, then we have to fight it His way. What are your stones God has given you to fight with? Is it silence in the heat of an argument? Is it forgiving someone who has hurt you? Is it simply waiting on Him? Is it burying yourself in His word for more time with Him? To me, the stones are symbolic of David's faith and obedience to God in the battle. This story tells me that the reason David won the battle with 5 stones is because David trusted the One who told him to gather them... Love, Corrie My prayer for today: Lord, thank you for this powerful story. Thank you for showing me the significance of David's 5 stones. Help me to grow closer to you so that I may know you more. Help me to give my battles to you and be obedient to fight with what you tell me to. I trust you with my life, Lord. Be my defender...