And he took his staff, which he had always in his hands: and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them into the shepherd's scrip, which he had with him, and he took a sling in his hand, and went forth against the Philistine.
1 Samuel 17:38 And Saul clothed David with his garments, and put a helmet of brass upon his head, and armed him with a coat of mail.
1 Samuel 17:39 And David having girded his sword upon his armour, began to try if he could walk in armour: for he was not accustomed to it. And David said to Saul: I cannot go thus, for I am not used to it. And he laid them off,
1 Samuel 17:40 And he took his staff, which he had always in his hands: and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them into the shepherd's scrip, which he had with him, and he took a sling in his hand, and went forth against the Philistine.
1 Samuel 17:41 And the Philistine came on, and drew nigh against David, and his armourbearer went before him.
1 Samuel 17:42 And when the Philistine looked, and beheld David, he despised him. For he was a young man, ruddy, and of a comely countenance.
The verse centers on "took", "staff", "always", "hands", "chose", "five", "smooth", and "stones". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "took" and "staff", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 39's "And David having girded his sword upon..." into verse 41's "And the Philistine came on and drew...", so "took" and "staff" belong inside that flow. In 1 Samuel context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.
A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "took" and "staff" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.