Long, long ago, there lived a boy named David.
David was the youngest of eight brothers, and he had a very important job. He was a shepherd. Every day he led his father's sheep out to the green hills, where the grass was sweet and the water was cool. He watched over them all day long, and he kept them safe.
Being a shepherd was not easy. Sometimes a hungry lion or a big bear would creep up, trying to snatch a little lamb. But David was brave. With God's help, he chased the wild animals away and saved his sheep. "It was the Lord who kept me safe," David always said. "God is stronger than any lion or bear."
David loved God with all his heart. As he sat on the hillside, he would play his harp and sing songs to God. The hills echoed with his music, and his heart was full of peace.
Now in those days, there was trouble in the land.
A fierce people called the Philistines had come to make war against God's people. The two armies stood on two hills, with a valley in between. And the Philistines had a secret weapon — a giant.
His name was Goliath, and he was the biggest, tallest man anyone had ever seen. He was taller than three men standing on top of each other! He wore heavy armor that flashed in the sun, and he carried a spear as big as a tree branch.
Every morning and every evening, Goliath stomped down into the valley and shouted up at God's people in a voice like thunder.
"Send me a man to fight me!" he roared. "If he beats me, we will be your servants. But if I beat him, you will be ours! Is anyone brave enough? Ha! I don't think so!"
When the soldiers of God's people heard the giant, they shook with fear. Not one of them was brave enough to fight him. Even the king, whose name was Saul, did not know what to do. For forty days, morning and evening, the giant shouted — and everyone was afraid.
One day, David's father called him in from the fields.
"David," he said, "your three oldest brothers are away with the army. Take them this bread and cheese, and see how they are doing."
So David rose early, left the sheep with another shepherd, and hurried off to the army camp. When he arrived, he heard a great noise — and there was the giant Goliath, stomping into the valley, shouting his terrible challenge once again.
David watched the soldiers run away in fear. He could not believe his eyes.
"Who is this man," David asked, "that he dares to make fun of the army of the living God? Why is everyone so afraid? God is with us!"
Some of the soldiers laughed at David. "You? You are only a boy! Go back to your sheep."
But King Saul heard about the boy who was not afraid, and he sent for David.
David stood before the king. He was small, and he had no armor, but his eyes were bright and steady.
"Your Majesty," said David, "do not worry about this giant. I will go and fight him."
King Saul shook his head. "You are only a boy, and Goliath has been a soldier all his life. You cannot fight him."
"When I watched my father's sheep," David answered, "a lion and a bear came to carry off a lamb. The Lord helped me, and I saved the lamb from the lion's mouth and the bear's claws. The same God who saved me from the lion and the bear will save me from this giant. The battle belongs to the Lord!"
King Saul was amazed at the boy's faith. "Go, then," he said, "and may the Lord be with you."
The king tried to give David his own armor and a heavy sword. But the armor was so big and so heavy that David could hardly walk in it. "I cannot use these," David said kindly, and he took them off.
Instead, David picked up his shepherd's staff. He went down to a little stream and chose five smooth, round stones from the water and put them in his bag. And he took his sling — the simple little sling he used to protect his sheep. That was all.
With his sling in his hand and God in his heart, David walked down into the valley to meet the giant.
When Goliath saw David coming, he laughed a great, booming laugh.
"What is this?" he roared. "A boy? With a stick? Do you think I am a dog? Come here, little boy, and I will feed you to the birds!"
But David was not afraid. He looked up at the giant and called out in a clear, strong voice:
"You come to me with a sword and a spear. But I come to you in the name of the Lord, the God of heaven! Today everyone will see that it is not swords and spears that save — the battle belongs to God, and He will help me!"
Then Goliath stomped forward, lifting his huge spear.
David did not run away. He ran toward the giant! As he ran, he reached into his bag and took out one smooth stone. He put it in his sling. He swung the sling round and round and round — and let the stone fly.
Whoosh!
The little stone flew straight and true, just where God guided it. It struck the giant right in the middle of his forehead.
And the great giant Goliath — the one everyone had feared for forty days — toppled over and fell down flat upon the ground.
A little stone, a shepherd boy, and the help of God had done what a whole army could not do.
When the Philistines saw that their giant had fallen, they turned and ran away. And all of God's people shouted for joy. The boy with no armor and no sword had won — because God was with him.
David did not say, "Look how strong I am! Look how clever I am!" No. David knew the truth. He gave thanks to God, who had helped him, just as God had always helped him on the hillside with his sheep.
And do you know what happened to that brave shepherd boy, who loved God and trusted Him? When he grew up, David became the greatest king his people ever had. And he kept on singing his songs to God all his life. Many of his beautiful songs are still in the Bible today — we call them the Psalms — and people all over the world still pray them and sing them.
So whenever something looks too big, and you feel very small, remember little David and the giant. Remember that you are never alone. The same God who helped David is always with you, too. And with God, even the smallest, youngest, gentlest person can be braver than they ever dreamed.
For the battle belongs to the Lord.
The story of David and Goliath is told in the Bible, in the First Book of Samuel, chapter 17. David later became the great king of Israel and wrote many of the Psalms. From his family, long afterward, came our Lord Jesus Christ, who is sometimes called the "Son of David."