Scripture

Come, let us worship and bow down, Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.

Psalm 95:6, NASB

Quote

It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits and to humbly implore His protection and favor.

~George Washington

Speaking in reference to Arnold Friberg’s painting of General George Washing kneeling by his horse at Valley Forge, Ronald Reagan said,  “This image is the most sublime in American History.” Would it not be great to have leaders in Washington D.C. today who would kneel before they make decisions that affect the future of our nation. I am sure we have a few who kneel but we need more. Eugene L. Peterson believes that David knelt by the brook in the Valley of Elah to select his five stones. Not just any old stone would do; they had to be the right size and shape. A flat stone would become a flying saucer and bound to curve. Just get that image in your mind, David on one knee, watching Goliath with one eye and selecting the perfect stones with the other. When I read Peterson’s devotional, KNEELING BY THE BROOK, I thought to myself, “I don’t remember seeing that in the story and it is not”…He took his stick in his hand and chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the shepherd’s bag which he had, even in his pouch, and his sling was in his hand; and he approached the Philistine. The bible tells us that he chose five stones but it says nothing about him kneeling but the probability is strong that David knelt.

We do know this: David had extraordinary faith and I have no trouble believing that he did kneel for one final prayer. I know this for sure, if I am going against Goliath, I am going to pray first. What I really like about the story is that David is outstanding. He is the only Israelite who is not being dominated by fleshly fear. David acts in faith while the rest react in fear. So there is more than one moral to the story. One is to pray about everything and two: do not let your fears get the upper hand. They will dominate you if you let them. The third lesson from the story is be yourself. David tried on Saul’s armor but it didn’t fit David; it encumbered him and slowed him down. Wisely, he gave it back to Saul and proceeded with the weapons he was accustom to instead of using those he was not familiar with. I’m sure David would have looked silly in Saul’s armor. Saul was 6’8″ and David was a ruddy lad. Saul may have looked small compared to Goliath but compared to David he was a big man. I always feel for those who wear someone else armor. Be yourself; don’t mimic or imitate others. God made you different for a reason so capitalize on your uniqueness.

Extra

PTL for the rain that broke the drought and now I praise Him for the sunshine. It is TGIF day and I hope you have a good one. God bless you and thanks for reading the blog.