The Bible tells us a story in I Samuel about a young man who went to deliver some cheese sandwiches to his brothers who were serving in the King's army. But before he was the delivery boy, he watched his Dad's sheep in the hillside pastures. And like most boys, to keep himself entertained, he'd take his slingshot and do target practice. When he got bored with that, he'd pick up his lyre/harp and play. You can get really good at an instrument when you have hour after hour of nothing to do but watch the sheep. When he first started, I'm sure the sound alone kept the wild predators away.
One day, while he was out watching his Dad's sheep, the famous preacher came to their home to have a special service. Everyone was there except this young shepherd boy. They left him out in the pasture because he was too young to understand the importance of the preacher anyway, and someone had to be there to watch the sheep. So he sang and played his lyre/lute while his brothers and parents listened intently to the preacher's words. The sermon didn't go real long, when the preacher got to the point of his visit. God had sent him to anoint one of the boys as the nation's next king. Each son passed before the preacher, and God told the preacher each time, "No, not this one." Finally, the preacher asked if there were any more sons. They all looked at each other, and finally said, "Yeah, there's one more, the youngest, but it can't be him, he's nothing but a shepherd, and musician always playing that stupid harp of his." The preacher said, "Go get him, for this service will not end, and we will not sit down and eat till he comes." Everyone knows there's nothing worse than cold food, so they ran to get the young man.
When the young man arrived from the pasture, still smelling like the sheep and the fresh country air, the Lord spoke to the preacher and said, "This is the one. Anoint him as the next king." So, right there in front of his parents and his older brothers, the young lad was anointed king. This didn't make his brothers very happy. There might have been a conversation with him later that went like this, "Don't think for a minute, Squirt, that just cause some preacher came and poured oil on you that you're any kind of big shot. You're still our punky little brother, and not good for much except watching sheep, so get back to the pasture and watch them."
This young man returned to the pasture and continued doing what he had been doing before. He was obedient and faithful to caring and watching over his father's flock, all the while singing and playing his harp/lyre. Eventually, he got so skilled at it that it became the soothing sound of the hillside, and the sheep knew his sound and relaxed under the sweet music. The music drifted through the hills, and people began to notice it. Eventually, it was even brought to the king's attention about his skill, and he was invited to play for the king at the palace.
But war broke out in his country, and some of his brothers left to serve in the army. One day, his father hungry for information and news from the war, sent this young lad with some cheese and some bread to his brothers at the front lines. When he arrived he left the cheese and bread with the supply keeper and ran off to find his brothers to see how they were doing. While catching up with his brothers he saw the giant. This giant kept taunting the army, and accusing them of being cowards, as no one had stepped up to challenge and fight him. That's when the lad could take it no longer, and asked what will done for the man that conquerors this giant. He was told that the one who defeats this giant will be made rich, given the king's daughter as a wife, and his family shall be tax-exempt from then on. The lad thought about it and knew that with God's help he could do it. This giant would be one of the biggest targets he had shot at, he was bound to hit him, he was too big to miss. It would be no different from the lion or bear he had taken down who had threatened the sheep.
So he took his slingshot, found five smooth stones in the stream, and went after the giant. His brothers and the rest of the army looked on, sure that this young lad would be the next war casualty. As the young man ran to the giant, he yelled, "You've got a sword and a spear, and keep cursing my God. I come at you with the name of the Lord my God, who I worship." With those words, he slung his slingshot around and fired his rock at the giant. Sure enough, it hit the target with incredible accuracy, and the giant fell to the ground. This young boy became a hero that day, and throughout all time, his story of bravery would be told.
He didn't set out to kill a giant, and win a great victory for his country. He set out to deliver some cheese sandwiches to his brothers hungry and tired on the front lines of war. He was just doing the little things, like watching his Dad's sheep, learning to play an instrument, and practicing his skill with his slingshot. He kept faithfully doing the things he was supposed to do, and when the time came, God knew He could do great things through him. The moral of the story is that even the smallest tasks, when done with faith and diligence, can lead to unexpected opportunities for greatness.
So keep watching your sheep, practicing your instrument, swinging that slingshot, and being a cheese sandwich delivery boy. Someday, you may be needed to slay the giant. Don't belittle the little stuff.
(The story of David is found in I Samuel 16-17)
