What Is Your Sling and Stone?

The story of David’s rise from harp player and shepherd to the king of Israel begins with his defeat over Goliath. Goliath belonged to the enemy, the Philistines. For 40 days he had come out to challenge the Israelites. No one was brave enough to take him on. All that anyone could see was this giant that loomed before them.

Often our troubles and trials appear to be the same. We see this giant of a problem looming over us and we run like the Israelites. We are not ready to face it head on. If we don’t run, then we would rather sit back and allow the giant to taunt us, just as Goliath did with the Israelites. It seems so much easier, doesn’t it?

Yet David, a young man who played his harp for King Saul and tended his father’s sheep would step forward and be willing to take on the giant. There was absolutely nothing in David that would indicate he could possibly win. He had everything going against him. He was young, inexperienced and had the worst possible choice of weapons one could ever imagine.

Goliath stood before David as an almost ten foot man. He wore heavy armor and was ready to fight using a sword, a spear and a javelin. He had all the right stuff to win. I’m sure that everyone thought David had lost his mind. He would come out to face the giant with only his staff, a sling and some stones. But it would be just one sling and a stone that would lead to his victory.

I have often thought about the reason David chose such an insignificant weapon. What are a sling and a stone against a giant of a man who is armed to the teeth? Through David, God would demonstrate that He can use anything in our hands.

What is your sling and stone? What can God use that may seem so insignificant, to bring you a victory? It may be something that you had never thought of, just as I am sure everyone in the battle felt that day. They were probably thinking, “What in the world is he doing? He cannot possibly defeat the giant with those weapons!”

Your sling and stone might be a kind word in response to harsh treatment. It could be asking forgiveness, giving up your “rights” or mending a broken relationship. One phone call could seem so insignificant yet it could be the very weapon that brings the giant down.

Too often we are looking for the big solution. We want to defend ourselves with heavy armor that will actually get in our way. David quickly discovered that when he first set off to fight Goliath. King Saul wanted him to wear armor but David knew it would only get in the way of what God wanted to use—a simple sling and stone. So what is your sling and stone?