5 Smooth Stones and a Giant-Sized Faith (David and Goliath)

Hey, carpool crew. It's time for another episode of Carpooling with Jesus. I'm Pastor Justin. I'm so pumped you're here with me as we kick off a brand new week. Today is a really special day for my oldest son. I asked him what story he wanted to hear on the podcast and he said his favorite story: David and Goliath. Remember, Jesus knew this story and probably heard about it on his donkey rides to school, but today we're looking at a part of the story that doesn't get talked about a lot: choices, specifically five really smooth choices. The five smooth stones David chose before he faced that big, scary giant Goliath. Here's one thing for your ride today. I want you to remember, God can use what you choose to do something great. Our verse today is from First Samuel chapter 17, verse 40. Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in a pouch on his shepherd's bag, and with his sling in his hand approached the Philistine. Before David faced Goliath, he picked five smooth stones. He chose carefully, he picked what he knew how to use and what would benefit him best in the battle to come, and he trusted God to do the rest. Put yourself in this moment. You're standing near a stream and a giant is walking down the hill, who's been saying mean things about your friends, your family, and God all week long. You bend down and pick up five smooth stones. These stones are not just stones, they represent something bigger. Courage, faith, preparation, obedience, trust. What if each stone David picked reminded him of who God is and how God had helped him before? So let me ask you this. What five stones would you choose if you had to face something big today? Now, they might not be literal stones, but they might be the five things that you are gonna take with you as you prepare. Now, the truth is you may not be going into battle like David was. You're probably going to school or practice, or you're at home ready to start homeschool. But just like David, you are preparing. What you choose in your preparation matters. Let me tell you about a kid who loves building Legos. One Saturday his school had a Lego building contest. The challenge: build something amazing using just the pieces you brought from home. He was super excited. Also nervous. He sat down with his mom and talked about the story of David and the five smooth stones that David picked. She asked him, what five things do you want to bring with you today, not just Lego bricks, the things that will help you when it gets tough. He picked his own five stones. He wrote them on a little card to keep in his pocket. He wrote down creativity, kindness, confidence, joy and faith. In the end, he won first place. He built something he was proud of and had fun doing it. Even better, he chose to carry the right things with him and trusted God to do the rest. If Jesus was right there with you, He might say something like, carry the right things with you, the right thoughts in your head. Remember to pray because God is listening, and know that God can use what you choose to do something great. Remember, wherever you are or however you're listening, God loves you. Before you go, ask this question to each other. If you picked five things to carry into a big moment, what would they be? Catch you next time on Carpooling with Jesus.