One by one, Jesse’s sons, stood before the prophet
Their father knew a king would soon be found.
Each one passed, except the last,
No one thought to call him,
For surely he would never wear a crown.
(“Shepherd Boy” by Ray Boltz)

FEARSOME GOLIATH

The kids in our Wednesday night Bible Club sat on the floor, facing a sheet strung between folding chairs, our make-shift puppet stage. Pam led the children in “Jesus Loves Me,” while Chris signed the words in American Sign Language. Two of my children, Dennis and Bonnie, operated sock puppets, their bodies hidden by the sheet.

In the hallway outside the classroom, I strapped a plastic Roman’s soldier helmet onto my husband’s head and fixed a red cape around his shoulders. “Try and look fierce!” I told him. “Goliath is fearsome!” We both laughed because even at 6 foot 4 inches, Ron was anything but fierce. The kids loved him, calling him the Gentle Giant. 

We were telling the story of David and Goliath but, as usual, we needed to make do with what we had. Our program had no official budget, and we were used to scrounging around to find costumes and props.

We used the ordinary things we had.

On Sunday, Pastor Amy spoke about the “David and Goliath” presentation at Knollwood and the impression it made on the children. It got me thinking about how we, as Christians, can use the very ordinary things in our lives to spread the gospel of Jesus.

ORDINARY THINGS

One by one,
Problems come,
And dreams get shattered.
Sometimes it’s hard to understand.
Cause things like chance and circumstance
They don’t really matter
Our Father has tomorrow in his hands. 

David, the shepherd boy who became King, is a prime example of “using the ordinary.” No one expected much of the youngest of Jesse’s sons. Left to care for the sheep while his older and bigger brothers went off to find the Giant Goliath, David used his slingshot to protect the herds, killing lions and bears who attacked. It soon became clear to David, who had merely been bringing lunch to his brothers on the battlefield, that God needed him, an ordinary shepherd boy, to kill the Philistine. Despite the disparaging words of his older brothers (I Samuel 17:28), David remained steadfast.

Here’s where it gets really interesting. King Saul tried to outfit David as a proper soldier, putting a helmet on his head and garbing him in armor (I Samuel 17: 38) But these were not the ordinary things–the sling and the stones–that David was accustomed to. He shrugged off the armature and approached the giant armed with the things he knew about: his slingshot and five little stones. 

USE WHAT YOU HAVE

Well it wasn’t the oldest
And it wasn’t the strongest
Chosen on that day.
Yet the giant fell
And the nations trembled
When they stood in his way.

For the Bible lesson long ago, we used what we had: props taken from the Christmas pageant, a sheet from my linen closet, and mateless socks with sewn-on button eyes. Ron roared into the classroom, brandishing his plastic sword, and was soon felled by the puppet David. The kids on the floor laughed and clapped and talked for weeks about the power of God to use ordinary people and ordinary things to conquer giants.

As I sat in church this past Sunday, I wondered at the ordinary things God had given me to use in spreading his word: I wasn’t rich or famous. I wasn’t a king and I didn’t have a million  followers on Instagram. But I had words and stories to share, my own “ordinary things.”

How about you? What are the ordinary things God has given to you that can help you spread His word? Do you have an extra coat to give to someone in need? A frozen lasagne that could feed a hungry family? A pen to write a note of encouragement? A pair of hands to lift in prayer?

Ordinary things. But powerful when used for God. 

When others see a shepherd boy
God may see a king
Even though your life seems filled
With ordinary things.
In just a moment, He can touch you
And everything will change.
Where others see a shepherd boy,
God may see a King!