David and Goliath Part 12 Use What God Has Given You

# 248 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 17:38-41, “So Saul clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail. 39 David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, "I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them." So David took them off. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine. 41 So the Philistine came, and began drawing near to David, and the man who bore the shield went before him. (1 Sam 17:38-41) Saul, ever wanting to take matters into his own hands decides to equip David with his armor. What was he thinking? The scene is almost comical as David tries to wear the clothes of a man who was “from his shoulders upward taller than any of the people.” (1 Sam 9:2) It would be like Jeff trying to fit into Mutt's clothing. While body armor is useful, any soldier knows you better practice fighting with it on before you actually go into battle. David couldn't even walk in this stuff without falling down, how in the world could he expect to fight? So David grabs the weapons he has been trained to use as a shepherd. A staff for defense, and a slingshot for offense. This weapon is more effective than one would think. Some say a sling could hurl a baseball size stone at more than 100 mph. That is major league! We are told of some Benjamites in Scripture who could “sling a stone at a hair's breadth and not miss.” (Jud 20:16) The staff and the sling were the things that David knew. They were the things that God used to prepare David for this day of battle. The late Howard Hendricks of Dallas Theological Seminary once said, “Spend the rest of your life doing what God prepared you to do.” Seems fitting here. Don't try to be something you are not. Use your life experiences and God-given abilities in service to the Lord wherever He has placed you, always using His Word as your guide, for it is even more accurate than a Benjamites sling. Heb 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Father thank You for giving us the sword of Your Word. May we wield it wisely.