Memo 1125: Get Good

Every generation loves the story of David and Goliath, for it tells of an underdog, in this case young David, defeating a large, powerful enemy with God's help as we read here:

Goliath started walking toward David again, and David ran quickly toward the Philistine battle line to fight him. He reached into his bag and took out a stone, which he slung at Goliath. It hit him on the forehead and broke his skull, and Goliath fell face downward on the ground. And so, without a sword, David defeated and killed Goliath with a sling and a stone! (1 Samuel 17:48-50).

The popular interpretation of how David killed Goliath is that a young boy picked up a stone, hurled it at the giant, and God somehow guided the stone to Goliath's forehead. God did help David but not in the way most think He did. God used David to slay the giant because David, even though he was young, was good at what he did. Look at this description found earlier in the Bible of how skilled men could be with a slingshot:

They called out twenty-six thousand soldiers from their cities that day. Besides these, the citizens of Gibeah gathered seven hundred specially chosen men who were left-handed. Every one of them could sling a stone at a strand of hair and never miss (Judges 20:15-16).

Those men mentioned in Judges 20 could sling a rock at a hair and never miss! We have to assume David was as skilled as they were. So when everyone else saw a giant with massive weapons and heavy armor, they panicked and ran, because that's all they saw. However, when David saw Goliath, he saw an open spot in the giant's armor. David saw his forehead and he thought, no he knew, "I can hit that with a stone. I don't need a sword."

How do you get as good at something as David was? There's no doubt that God gave him good eye-hand coordination, but don't you think David practiced? Don't you think he used all the moments of boredom while tending his father's sheep to do something productive that gave him a new skill? And when David had that skill, it caused him to notice something no one else could see, for the others were assuming they had to fight the giant on his terms. David saw the unprotected forehead and saw an opportunity everyone else missed.

So in what area are you as good as David was with a sling? Are you a computer whiz? Do you paint or sculpt, or maybe dance? Are you a student who does work beyond your grade level in some area and you find it easy? Can you kick or throw a ball farther than others? If so, then God is giving you an indication of what you should devote your young life to. You get good at what you can do, and God will open the doors for you to do it, and maybe even get paid to do so.

David didn't know that he was getting ready to face Goliath in the years prior to their meeting when he was practicing and having fun with his sling shot. No, he was just doing something he found he could do well and he became the best at it in Israel. You follow the same strategy and I promise that God will make a way for you to do what you do well as often as possible.

Remember, David was about 17 years old when all this occurred, so when he was ten, or twelve, or fourteen, he was out slinging when his friends were playing video games. Of course, there were no video games then, but you get the point. Take yourself and your skills seriously, even though you're young, and God will do the same. Eventually you, and even your teachers and parents, will be surprised at how far you have come at such an early age. Have a blessed week!