Today, on our next to the last day in Israel, (did I mention that I’m in ISRAEL?!) I did something that my young Sunday School self, eyes intently fixed on a flannelgraph board, could have only imagined.

I stood in the Valley of Elah where an epic battle took place between a giant Philistine soldier and a small Israelite shepherd boy, but this time instead of my eyes being fixed on pieces of flannel telling the story, I was looking at the very real hills that both armies occupied and the flat valley in between.

Suddenly it wasn’t so hard to imagine anymore….and the incredible story of David and Goliath became so much more than a “Bible story.” I’m learning that this is one of the great gifts of coming to the “land of the Bible”, and I’m so thankful to be here!

But if seeing the hills and valley was cool, walking along the dry streambed was absolutely surreal. Somewhere along this very stream, running through the Valley of Elah, the young boy David who would one day be one of the greatest Kings in Israel and forefather to Jesus stooped down, selected 5 smooth stones and readied himself to face a giant using slingshot warfare…..

There really are those people whose first reaction is to run into battle. I, however would not be one of them! So it’s not always natural for me to be the “David” in this story, but the battle wasn’t really won by a rock, was it? From beginning to end, this story is all God. It was God who prepared David to use a slingshot so well by leading wild animals his way for practice. It was God who placed such courage in that little heart of David’s, and it was God who chose the time for David’s father to send him to the battlefront to bring his brothers food. It was God who knew the Israelites needed a champion and then chose the unlikliest in the youngest son of Jesse. God did all these things! But…. God also wanted David to act in faith and pick up the stones….

God may have prepared the way for victory, but if David hadn’t chosen to do his part by walking down to that stream and choosing the stones that would become his only weapon, the battle would have been lost that day. So the question to us on Day 3 is, are we choosing our stones? I know it can be really scary to face the things that seem too big and too menacing and too impossible to manage, but it’s really not about that, right? God could swoop down and take care of each and every problem, care, heartache, worry and hard place in our lives if he chose to, but God has always sought relationship with us – for us to work with him in this life, and he’s abunadantly able to lead us if we will have the courage to follow.

I think God wants us to be willing to go into the battles we may be facing with faith, trusting him for the preparations,  for the timing and ultimately, for victory in the battle. Our job is to just go to the stream and pick up some stones, like faith, love, peace, patience….and follow him. Just as we are. He’ll never lead us somewhere where he hasn’t prepared the way, and he’ll always, always be with us, no matter what.

Choosing Faith Over Fear,
Shellie ♥♥