The Armor You Already Have

The Armor You Already Have

Saul clothed David with his armor; he put a bronze helmet on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail. David strapped Saul’s sword over the armor, and he tried in vain to walk, for he was not used to them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these, for I am not used to them.” So David removed them. Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the wadi and put them in his shepherd’s bag, in the pouch; his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine.

1 Samuel 17:38-40 NIV

We’ve all read about David killing Goliath at least a thousand times. It’s a classic, probably because it’s everything we love in a story. A small shepherd boy who was just delivering lunch to his brothers, an ugly giant who was tormenting an army, a little bit of trash talk, and then good triumphing over evil. If Jeff Probst would’ve been alive back then, David totally would have gotten his own reality show.

But here’s what I love about the story that I totally missed when I was a kid. King Saul tried to equip David for battle by giving David his armor. And it wasn’t just any old armor. It was his kingly armor, so you know it was made of the finest materials. Yet David quickly realized that it wasn’t going to work for him. It was too big and bulky. David needed materials he had used before successfully when he killed the lions and bears that tried to attack and eat his sheep.

So, David grabbed his staff and five smooth stones as he approached Goliath. And, well, you know the rest of the story. Spoiler alert: things didn’t go well for Goliath, but the birds of the air ate well that day.

I’m reminded that sometimes when I face big challenges, I’m waiting for God to equip me with big, fancy ways to fight them. Surely big problems call for elaborate solutions, right? Except they totally don’t. Sometimes the best solution is simply remembering that we come in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel. It’s never about our power or our ability to fight a giant. And it’s certainly never about having the fanciest armor. All we need to do is to remember that God is using all the little pieces of our lives to prepare us for whatever we may face. And, like David, we never go into battle alone. Sometimes all God tells us to take is five small stones and a big faith.

What giants will you be facing today, my friend? Just remember that you have all the armor you’ll need because God is on your side.

Thank you for reading Pastor Dale’s Mid-Week Encouragement. It’s not copyrighted so feel free to share it with someone who needs encouragement today. And, if you’re a regular attender of the Mt. Laurel Church of God or regularly watch our Facebook live feed, consider reading Matthew 23:1-12 to get ready to worship with us this coming Sunday, November 1 as Pastor Dale shares some good news from God’s Word for you.

Called to know the Way, go the Way, and show you the Way,

Pastor Dale

Pastor Dale (PD) and Pamela his wife find joy in serving the Mt. Laurel Church of God [www.mtlaurelcog.org]. If this Mid-Week Encouragement has helped you, perhaps it may encourage someone else, too. Feel free to share this email with anyone you choose. And if for some reason, you'd like to stop receiving PD's Mid-Week Encouragement, just send me an email (kingdomguy@gmail.com) and I'll accommodate your request.