Preparation Before Greatness: I Samuel 16 & 17
In the book of Samuel, we read about David as a shepherd boy. Watching over, feeding, and keeping predators away from the sheep was the responsibility of the shepherd. Although an important responsibility, it wasn't a desirable job and was usually assigned to the youngest or weakest in the family, as was the case in David’s situation. He was the youngest of the eight sons of Jesse.
Keeping sheep was a lonely job but David was never alone. He spent his days worshiping God, meditating on His Word, and playing music on his harp. He also had plenty of time to practice shooting stones with his slingshot. Being in the wilderness with sheep, David developed courage and strength when faced with predators that were after the sheep. Some of these predators included bears and lions and David killed both. One time a lion had snatched one of the animals in its mouth and David rescued it by striking the lion and taking the sheep from the lion's mouth. When the lion would rear up, David would grab the lion by its fur, strike it down, and kill it. Little did David know at the time that his wilderness training and skillsets would put him in a place of promotion and authority.
You may be in a season where you are being responsible but you feel like you are in the wilderness. You may feel alone and are not getting any recognition or appreciation for the work you are doing. Take advantage of these times to come closer to God and experience His love for you. Meditate on God’s Word and use your time to develop your skills, both internally and externally. Just because nothing exciting is happening in your life right now, do your best in the season you are in and improve or learn new skill sets and work on developing a strong mind and a closer relationship with God.
As a young boy, David wasn’t even considered or remembered by his father, Jesse, when the prophet Samuel came to anoint one of his sons as the next king of Israel. David was still out watching the sheep. Finally, when all of David’s brothers had been considered and refused, Samuel had to ask Jesse, “are these all the sons you have?” When David was brought to Samuel, the Lord chose him and he was anointed to be the future king of Israel. Afterward, he went back to the sheep and was not treated any differently.
When the current king of Israel, Saul, had trouble with his emotions and mood, David was asked to go to the palace and play his harp before him. David was known as an excellent skilled musician. When David played, King Saul felt much better and his depressed and oppressive mood was lifted. David was favored by King Saul who promoted him to be his armor-bearer as well. Later David slays the giant Goliath and after Saul’s death, he becomes king of Israel.
As a musician, David also wrote many songs including a well-known one in Psalm 23.
“The Lord is my shepherd, I will not lack
He makes me lie to down in green pastures
He leads me beside still waters
He restores my soul
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake
Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
I will fear no evil
For You are with me
Your rod and Your staff
They comfort me
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies
You anoint my head with oil
My cup runs over
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
If you are going through a wilderness experience, remember Psalm 23 and know that God is preparing you for greatness. He is your loving Shepherd who will be with you. (Jer 29:11; John 3:16)
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Personal Development Tip of the week:
Last week I polled my audience on Instagram with a question asking, “what do you need more of” Certainty or variety? The overwhelming response was certainty so let's talk about certainty
So what is a certainty, one definition of certainty is, “a firm conviction that something is the case” Another way to think about it is “our need to feel in control about something” whether that be our lives, our relationship with God, our purpose, etc.
Certainty is an important thing we all need to feel from time to time but we also have to understand that many things in our life are outside our control. This is why it’s so important to have a strong relationship with God. When you have a strong relationship with God you can let go of trying to control everything in your life and trust with faith that God is taking care of the unseen things you don’t feel certain about behind the scenes.
You demonstrate your faith by bringing God into every situation you feel uncertain about asking God to talk care of the things you can’t quite see and or control. When you completely surrender to God and ask him to take control over the situation you are faced with that you don’t feel certain about you can create more peace and continue to move forward knowing that God is in control and can handle what you can’t handle on our own.
Lastly, even though you need certainty in your life you also need variety/uncertainty. If you controlled and knew how everything was going to go in your life step by step you would be bored. So having variety in your life is good and this variety gives you space to step out into the unknown and explore your gifts, talents, and God’s calling on your life for something great.
Think of it as a balancing act of having certainty in your life about some things but also having variety so you grow, learn, and develop while you are here. God wants you to have a great abundant life while you are here on earth which takes courage, confidence, and faith in him.
Step out in faith each day as you explore your interests, relationship with God, and what you are doing at this point in your life knowing that God is in control of everything even if you can’t see it.
For we live by Faith, not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7 NIV)
Question for you? What is one thing in your life right now that if you let go of control of it and gave it to God you would have much more peace in your life? Leave a comment below!
Prayer for the week:
Father God, thank you for this new day and week ahead. Thank God it’s Monday and thank you Lord for continuing to walk with me in my journey as I grow and develop each day. I give my worries and uncertainties about life to you today lord so that I don’t need to worry and continue walking by faith not just by sight. Bless me, guide me, and direct me to make the most of this day in Jesus name Amen.
God Bless
Dayne
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Do you know Jesus?
If you have never asked Jesus to be the leader of your life and forgive you of all your sins, this is the right time to act. Pray this simple prayer and believe it in your heart: “Dear God, Your Word says that You loved me so much that You sent Your Son Jesus to die on the cross for me. I want to be saved and have all my sins forgiven, past, present, and future. Forgive me now as I receive Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior. You promised me salvation and an abundant life. I believe and receive Your free gift. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit and help me grow stronger in You each day, in Jesus name I pray, Amen.” (John 3:16)
Preparation Before Greatness