Lions and Bears Prepare You for Goliaths.

 Lessons from David and Goliath #1 (1 Samuel 17)

We have been reading through 1 Samuel in our family devotions and we have just finished the story of David and Goliath. I couldn't help but see lots of lessons in this story for teenagers/youth. So I am planning to share them one or two at a time. Read the story for yourself for the full benefit.

1. David's challenges as a shepherd prepared him for Goliath.

"David said...The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine." 1 Samuel 17:37

David was a shepherd boy. Growing up I was a farm girl. I helped my dad a lot on our family farm. I had my heart set on being a missionary so shifting cows and pulling weeds to me seemed very unimportant. I wanted to do stuff that really counted! I regret that I didn't realize that anything God has given us to do is important! 

Do you feel like what you have to do right now is unimportant? Are you looking forward to the future when you can do what you are dreaming of? Marriage? Motherhood? A Career? Missionary? Some kind of Ministry?

What are you doing right now? Schoolwork? Work? Learning an instrument? Learning to cook? Helping with your siblings or helping your parents? Whatever you have to do right now is IMPORTANT! David's time as a shepherd was preparing him for bigger things. The skills he learned and his relationship with God was preparing him for Goliath.  Would he have trusted God with Goliath if he had never learned to trust God with lions and bears? Would he have been able to kill Goliath if he hadn't first learned how to use his sling to kill wild animals? 
Whatever you have to do now is preparation for the future. Will you be like David and make the most of your 'shepherd boy' time? Or will you waste it dreaming of when you will 'fight Goliaths'?
Whatever is in front of you right now--no matter how monotonous or unimportant it seems to be--give it to God. Give yourself to God and ask Him to teach you to trust and know Him NOW. Ask Him to help you to be faithful in what you have to do now, so that you will prepared for future challenges.
The Bible says "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much." Luke 16:10