David, a real little boy that grew up into a real king, began his life as a shepherd boy. The lowliest vocation you could have. It was the youngest member of the family that fell to that task.
Shepherds protect their sheep and lead them to safe food and water. How? Well, sheep would follow the voice of their shepherd (we’ll talk about that another time) but shepherds would also lead or “herd” them by throwing stones. The shepherd would spend a good portion of his day sitting on the side of a hill tossing rocks, keeping his sheep from wandering off. Never AT the sheep, but a well-placed stone beyond a sheep’s path would startle him back into the herd. After hours, months and years of this – those rocks would feel quite natural in your hand.
When David was confronted with an enemy that needed to be defeated, he did not hesitate. The initial plan was to suit up according to the wisdom of the world and put on the king’s armor. Isn’t that how warrior’s fought? But the armor was unfamiliar and unwieldy for David. It didn’t fit. What did David do instead? He picked up some stones and went out to defeat the abomination. God called David to take Goliath down. And what did He ask David to do? Throw a stone. He asked him to do something this little shepherd boy had done every day of his life – but He asked him to do it for Him. David didn’t suddenly receive some new power or skill, but he faithfully did what God had prepared him to do.
I sometimes struggle to see my significance in God’s work, but God has given me a stone. If I faithfully throw it in the name of God, who knows what He will do with it.
What’s your stone?
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