And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in his scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine. (I Samuel 17: 14)
On his way to meet Goliath, the Philistine giant, David picked up five smooth stones for his sling.
While there can be several lessons, or applications, for the five smooth stones, one application is this:
Goliath had four brothers, but with David's faith in God, he knew he needed only five, or one stone for each of the giants; for David's faith was in God and not in himself.
Another application for the five smooth stones is this:
Do you have any giants in your own life? Are there certain people at certain times who gnaw and nag at you and can be quite bothersome?
What about the giant of unemployment and the fears that come with it?
What about the giant of an ailing parent or grandparent? Can you take care of them in your home, or do you need to consider nursing assistance?
What about the giant of alcoholism, drug addiction, or losing weight?
What about the giant of a child who has gone astray and is now hanging out with the wrong people? You know the child is heading for trouble, so what do you do?
What about the giant of playing golf? Can you handle it by yourself, or do you need some help in order to improve your game?
Do you suppose God prepared Goliath and the Philistines in order to test David's faith?
David became the king of Israel, at which time David continued to face giants in the time of his leadership of an entire nation. And as David ruled Israel with his faith in God, the king had success; but when he relied on himself, he found trouble: such as the trouble he found with another man's wife, whose name was Bathsheba.
Could it also be, then, that God prepares giants in our own lives as a test of our faith? If so, then it is wise for us to stop and pick up five smooth stones before we go to battle against the giants we face each day? In other words, stop and pray before marching onward as an army of one unprepared for war.
The giants will never go away: we are going to experience them all the days of our lives.
When we look and see giants in our lives, perhaps this would be a good time to remember the words God spoke to Jeremiah the prophet:
Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD. (Jeremiah 1: 8)
On his way to meet Goliath, the Philistine giant, David picked up five smooth stones for his sling.
While there can be several lessons, or applications, for the five smooth stones, one application is this:
Goliath had four brothers, but with David's faith in God, he knew he needed only five, or one stone for each of the giants; for David's faith was in God and not in himself.
Another application for the five smooth stones is this:
Do you have any giants in your own life? Are there certain people at certain times who gnaw and nag at you and can be quite bothersome?
What about the giant of unemployment and the fears that come with it?
What about the giant of an ailing parent or grandparent? Can you take care of them in your home, or do you need to consider nursing assistance?
What about the giant of alcoholism, drug addiction, or losing weight?
What about the giant of a child who has gone astray and is now hanging out with the wrong people? You know the child is heading for trouble, so what do you do?
What about the giant of playing golf? Can you handle it by yourself, or do you need some help in order to improve your game?
Do you suppose God prepared Goliath and the Philistines in order to test David's faith?
David became the king of Israel, at which time David continued to face giants in the time of his leadership of an entire nation. And as David ruled Israel with his faith in God, the king had success; but when he relied on himself, he found trouble: such as the trouble he found with another man's wife, whose name was Bathsheba.
Could it also be, then, that God prepares giants in our own lives as a test of our faith? If so, then it is wise for us to stop and pick up five smooth stones before we go to battle against the giants we face each day? In other words, stop and pray before marching onward as an army of one unprepared for war.
The giants will never go away: we are going to experience them all the days of our lives.
When we look and see giants in our lives, perhaps this would be a good time to remember the words God spoke to Jeremiah the prophet:
Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD. (Jeremiah 1: 8)
No comments:
Post a Comment
Your comments will not be published openly.