What is God preparing you for?
David is one of the two or three most important people in the Old Testament. Israel’s greatest king. A powerful warrior, intimate worshipper, writer of so many Psalms, a leader of great skill and integrity. And the ultimate occupant of his throne is Jesus Himself!
Yet it’s not where he started. When God told Samuel to go to Jesse’s house to anoint a king, Jesse lined up his sons and no one spared a thought for the smallest and youngest son whose only role was out in the field looking after sheep. This was not where anyone thought to look for a king.
But two things stand out here. Firstly, the thing that God is most interested in is devotion. While we look at outward attributes, God is focused on the heart (1 Sam 16:7). But more than this, God had been forming David in private. Who would have guessed that defending sheep from lions and bears would be God’s preparation for protecting Israel? You see, the very place of insignificance that we would think discounted David was actually the very place God chose to prepare his choice in secret.
It makes me wonder just how much God has been preparing you and I for the things he has for us to do and in ways we have never noticed. I wonder how God has been shaping you? I wonder what experiences God has allowed you to go through for the special tasks that are tailor-made for you.
And it’s this that also gives me confidence for us as a church. As we press into multiple locations and pursue multiplying disciple-makers, the need for leaders whose hearts are fully devoted to the Lord will only go up. And my unwavering confidence is that God has been preparing Davids in our church all along, only to reveal them at the perfect time.
Much love,
Simon
This post is part of the Senior Pastor’s weekly blog. Go to the blog feed >>