Complete trust, practice makes perfect
If I were to recommend an example of "practice makes perfect" in the Bible, my first choice would be David. In the time-honored showdown between the young David and the Philistine giant Goliath, what he faced was an ultra-difficult challenge of "extreme pressure, few opportunities, and extremely small goals."
Why is it said to be extremely stressful? Because it was in full view, and thousands of people were watching. Because if you don’t succeed, you will succeed! Because of the huge disparity in arms and size between the two sides, both sides were moving quickly, and the distance had to be just right. If David ran too close, he would be stabbed to the core by Goliath's thick and heavy spear! It's too far, and the small rocks don't have enough range.
Why do you say there are very few opportunities? The shepherd boy David only had five small smooth stones taken from the local area, so he only had five opportunities to aim and fire.
Why do you say the goal is extremely small? Goliath, a professional warrior who is about three meters tall, is fully armored and packaged like a tank. Although the target may appear to be large, in fact, only a few inches around his forehead is a lethal shield!
The result of the decisive battle was that the first small stone hit the giant's door and penetrated straight into the brain. Apart from the accurate head, how strong does it have to be? Would it be possible without years of hard training?
Before he went into battle, David said to the worried King Saul: "While I was tending the sheep, sometimes a lion or sometimes a bear came and took a lamb from the flock. So I chased it, smote it, and took the lamb out of its mouth. Delivered..." (1 Samuel 17:34-35)
How could it be possible if I didn't practice hard and accumulate practical experience when shepherding sheep every day? This is where practice makes perfect.
Of course, in addition to David's superb dexterity, his unwavering trust in God is the key to being able to take his time and give full play to his skills. David said to the murderous and thunderous Philistine giant: “You come against me with swords and spears and bronze halberds; I come against you in the name of the Lord of hosts!…The Lord gives victory; Not with sword or spear, for the battle belongs to the Lord; he will give you into our hands." (1 Samuel 17:45-47)
That’s right, “Workers come before work, authors are more important than works, and sincerity is better than anything else!” Because David first determined to become a worker who trusted fully in the Lord of hosts, he could complete the work of slaying Goliath with faith and courage. . These three sentences are also the DNA of the Kingdom of God team! In the biweekly online prayer meetings across states and oceans, in the co-worker retreats every spring, and in our daily social media and email exchanges, we always encourage each other over and over again: Become a partner first Only workers who are God’s heart can produce work that is in line with God’s heart; only by becoming authors and editors that are in line with God’s heart can we produce works and publications that are in line with God’s heart; and sincerity toward God, ourselves, and readers is everything. The key to the finished product having a life impact.
As for the wisdom and talents that those who serve must possess, as long as they truly have a call from God and do what He has commanded in His timetable, He will be responsible for providing them; the responsibility of those who serve is to devote time and diligence, So that "practice makes perfect." The promise in James 1:5 is exactly what all our team members have experienced over the past ten years: “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to everyone without finding fault. , the Lord will give it to him.”