I Know Who My Deliverer Is
A short story about King David.
Crouching down, I picked up the stone from the riverbed. The stream was cool and refreshing to my feet. This one will do, I thought. I tossed it a few inches in the air to gauge the mass and potential velocity. This one will do just fine. I stood up and looked around. My heart was full. I was so thankful for these peaceful streams and nearby meadows. I recalled all the times I would just sit by the bank of the water and listen to it bubble and babble. Those were the days. God’s presence was so sweet. He refreshed my soul and reminded me how light His Spirit is. I need these times like a deer pants for water. I long to be with Him.
I picked up a few more stones that felt just right and stashed them in my satchel. I’m going to need these stones today, I thought. A notion pricked my heart with fear. I fought the idea of needing these stones to defend myself from certain death. Death is always right around the corner, either roaring at me like a lion or charging me like a bear. I reminded myself – death is certain for all of us, but living with the Most High and powerful God, with His abundant life coursing through my veins, is what I desire.
Never forget how I delivered you time after time.
That thought was not mine. It was a small, still voice that seemed to just devour my fear.
I closed my eyes, which started to tear up. My mind then went back to the not so distance past. I could see the rustling in the reeds again. The golden mane gently flowed with the wind, which carried the scent of freshly killed game. Then came the grunts, and quiet roars. Just remembering that sound made my stomach sink and the hairs on my neck stand up. I looked down at the two lost lambs that I had found. I knelt down slowly and gathered any rock I could find. These rocks were not ideal. They were jagged and recently broken off of larger stones, but they were all I had. Bah-ah-ah-ah, bleated one of my foundlings. Shhhh, I put my finger to my mouth and tried to shush the lamb as quietly and calmly as possible. I held its head in my shaking hands. I caressed its side as gently as I could muster. I knew, however, what the bleat of the lamb meant – confronting almost certain death, every man’s fear. Yet I was just a boy looking after his sheep. Why me? Why does this have to happen to me? No one deserves to ever be in a position to be ripped apart by a lion, let alone a poor young boy who is just trying to care for his flock.
I am with you. That was one of the first times I heard this voice so clearly and steadily.
Don’t be afraid! Stand up! Take up a stone and put it in your sling, and when you see those golden eyes, you let the stone go right at the beast!
But what if I miss? I only get one chance! If I miss, that’s it.
I am with you. Trust me.
Yes, I will trust you. Help me trust yo . . .
I didn’t have time to finish the thought. The lion had us in its sights and issued a warning growl. I knew that sound. It meant business. I ushered the lambs behind the tree in some vain attempt to save them. With trembling hands, I grasped the imperfect rocks from my satchel, and placed them in my sling.
I am with you.
I stepped forward. I took another step forward, swinging the sling over my head.
LET IT GO!
I released it, and it careened right off the front of the cat’s face. Blood and fur blotted the blue sky. The beast let forth a high-pitched yelp that I had never heard before and slumped down as if it were drunk. I retrieved another rock from my satchel and took another step forward. This time with more confidence and steadier hands, I placed the rock in the sling and hurled another jagged piece of earth at the beast, tagging it in the head just under its left ear. It screamed and snarled again and then jumped up and half-ran, half-stumbled away. I clenched my fists and released them, and then exhaled. Tears stained my cheeks.
I am your deliverer. I am the Living God. You need fear no living thing.
I trust you, my Lord.
I exhaled again as the memory slowly melted away. I wondered if that lion survived. Shaking my head, I reminded myself of the task at hand. This giant, this thing who dares to defy my Deliverer, my King, the Living God of Israel stood tall on the horizon. I looked up at the sky, drew a deep breath, closed my eyes, gently touched the stones in my satchel, and stepped forward.
I am with you.
