Smooth 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

My brother is three years older than I am. This is significant when you are in grade school. I was nine and he was eleven but after school we did almost everything together. We were the foosball champs at the local youth center on the military base we lived on in Germany. We played all types of sports but among our favorites was football. We practiced a single play over and over again we called the ‘Reggie Mantle” for reasons I’ve long forgotten. He would be the quarterback and I would be the tight end. I would run straight out at full speed and at the last minutes break left sharply and meet the ball at a spot he always threw it to. It was a play that was hard to defend. There was no indication of where I was going or where the ball would be. I was a little kid playing with larger boys. I was the one it wasn’t necessary to guard with a skilled player. More often than not, this play would result in a touchdown. It was the result of perfect trust and the understanding between us that if I got to the spot where the ball would be, it would be there. He knew it and I knew it. The story of David and Goliath offers great reassurance for the Christian. Complete trust in God yields powerful results.

The biblical account of David and Goliath is powerful and detailed. The Bible paints David, the young shepherd boy as almost arrogant. Sent to the battlefront to deliver food to his brothers, he becomes indignant that this giant is ridiculing the army of God. As he persists in asking questions he begins to raise the ire of the soldiers. Ultimately he is taken to King Saul. He recounts facing lions and bears defending his sheep. It is important to note that he didn’t simply ward the wild animals off – he pursued them and snatched the sheep out of the jaws of these beasts to restore them back to the fold. When he finally persuades Saul to let him face the giant, he is unable to wear the armor or wield the standard weapons of war so he falls back on his weapon of choice, a slingshot. He selects five smooth stones from the river and vanquishes the giant Goliath. As Christians, we must trust that our abilities, finances, health, personalities, stature or even age might, to the world, look like insurmountable obstacles; but adding unwavering trust in God will give us success beyond belief.

By faith today, let your faith in God take you victoriously through every situation you encounter.

Deacon Larry Woodard