Grace - Lions and Bears Were Just Target Practice

Then Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are but a youth while he has been a warrior from his youth."  But David said to Saul, "Your servant was tending his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, I went out after him and attacked him, and rescued it from his mouth; and when he rose up against me, I seized him by his beard and struck him and killed him.  Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies of the living God."  1 Samuel 17:33-36

"Long before becoming king, David was a simple shepherd boy.  While his brothers were on the frontlines fighting the Philistines, David was stuck on the sidelines tending sheep.  David felt like he had been put out to pasture, but God was honing an uncanny ability that would catapult him into the national limelight....

I may be reading between the verses, but I have a hunch.  I think David prayed for his sheep.  I can't prove it, but I think there are some compelling reasons why he would.  What child doesn't pray for his pets?  I think David loved and prayed for his sheep just like we love and pray for our pets.  Besides that, David's sheep were his livelihood.  Just as a farmer prays for his crops, a shepherd prays for his flocks.  In fact, I bet David specifically prayed that God would protect his flock by keeping lions and bears away.  Makes sense, doesn't it?  But David's prayers went unanswered.  On numerous occasions, lions and bears attacked David's flock.  I wonder if David ever questioned God:  Why doesn't God answer my prayers for safety?

The answer dawns on David as he's getting ready to face Goliath....  David realizes that the bears and lions were target practice.  They were preseason games that perfected his skills as a slingshot marksman and prepared him for his sudden-death playoff with the Giants, led by Goliath."

From Batterson, Mark, In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day.  pp. 62-63