5 Smooth Stones

5 Smooth Stones for a new school year.....
David was most likely 15 or younger that day he courageously stepped out with his 5 smooth stones, his sling and his staff, to face a 10 ft+ giant. A whole army was trembling in fear, in the face of this man we know as Goliath.  Grown men, trained soldiers, were paralyzed by the sheer size of their opponent. But David remembered something that they had forgotten. He remembered that the Lord of Heaven’s armies stood in opposition to this mocker, this bully. David remembered whose he really belonged to…”I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies - the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.” (1 Sam. 17:46).

Instead of putting on Saul’s armor, he put on God’s armor….the very presence and power of JEHOVAH-NISSI ("Our banner, a banner of love and protection" - Also the name Moses gave to the altar he built after defeating the Amalekites (Ex. 17:15). )  It turns out that God's armor was a custom fit.

A friend of min recently wondered outloud, whether David had a back-up plan. What was his Plan B, if his little stone failed to stop this mammoth foe? I don’t know. If normal 15-yr-old adolescent audacity is any indication, I doubt he had one. He simply believed in the power and presence of God and knew that he couldn’t abide the mocking taunts of a bully.

He picked up 5 smooth stones from a stream.  He chose what was available to him.  He had experienced God’s protection before, when he had been alone and in the face of danger, protecting his lambs. He knew that this time God would be the protector again, protecting him, fighting for Him and those who claimed his Name. He chose the “foolish things” of this world to confound the “wise“.  Five foolish stones.  He didn’t confuse his effort with God’s power. He knew that it would be God that would conquer Goliath, then David would kill him. "Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head." (1 Sam. 17:46)  And with that armor-knowledge in place, he ran….yes,....“he quickly ran out to meet him.” He was committed and persuaded and full of faith. He could meet his enemy because God was going to conquer him! He was not in a defensive, wait-and-see position. He was on the offense. Who better to fight for and defend than Jehovah-Nissi, his banner of love and protection!

Then the moment came when that unassuming, smooth, glorious, conquering stone, empowered by the hand of God, sped out of David’s sling, out over the great valley, through that foreboding empty space, and found it’s mark! That smooth stone sank into the forehead of this seemingly-untouchable giant. “He stumbled and fell face down on the ground.” (1 Sam. 17:49).

David knew a secret that all the grown men of Israel, and even their king, had forgotten. We don’t conquer. God does. It is God that rescues his people. He is the one that gives victory over the enemy. Heck, it’s not even our battle, it’s God’s! We are joining Him. We are part of His purposes and plans, not the other way around.

As young people looking to the start of another year of school, consider this story of David and Goliath's face-off. All of us have giants that we face. They come in many forms: fear of what others think, disappointment, loneliness, temptation, doubt. These are things common to all of us. What will make the difference in whether these things master us or we master them is remembering….remembering what David remembered.  That we don’t conquer. God does.  It's not about our age or circumstances, our experiences or abilities.  It is only God that rescues his people. And that, actually, the battle is not even ours, it’s God’s. He wants us to overcome more than we do.

So pick up what God has given you…those 5 smooth stones…(prayer, spending some time reading His word, building friendships with people that will encourage your relationship with God, reaching out to those around you), and then run out to meet the day, knowing that it’s God’s battle and he will do the conquering, he will be known as the God who rescues his people,…..and He will use You!