(Read 1 Samuel 16:14-23)
Today I will continue with “Faith and Patience Volume 5 – Greater is Coming!” We are studying the life of David. Let’s get into it.
After the prophet Samuel left Jesse’s house, life seemingly went back to normal. Although the Spirit of the Lord was upon David and God’s grace was on him for national leadership, he went right back to his father’s sheep and everyone went back to their normal lives. This is not easy to do. It’s hard to go back to normal when you know things are not normal. It’s hard to go back to the way things were when you know things have changed.
The challenge is the timing component associated with God’s promises. When God reveals something BIG to you, you get excited, or maybe even afraid. But if you can muster up the faith to OPEN your heart to it, you start to dream. You give yourself permission to SEE yourself walking what God revealed. This is part of the process, and it is inspiring. You realize HOW BIG the promise is, and you start dreaming about it. The problem is that it is SO BIG that it is going to take time before it happens. In the meanwhile, you have to go back to your life as you know it, and you have to attempt to focus on your today, while your heart is consumed with dreaming about your tomorrow. Although God did make the promise, and He is committed to bringing it to pass, He still requires you to maximize the season you are IN, in order to be ready for the next, when that time comes.
Since the Spirit of the Lord had left Saul, and he no longer had the grace for national leadership, the king started to be tormented by an evil spirit. Saul was filled with fear and he dove into depression. Some of Saul’s servants said to him, “Let us find a good musician to play the harp whenever the tormenting spirit troubles you. He will play soothing music, and you will soon be well again.” Saul said, “All right, find me someone who plays well and bring him here.”
At this point, if you are not familiar with David’s story, you might be thinking, “Okay Rick, where are you going with this? What does this have to do with David?” Don’t worry; the connection is coming. Surprisingly, one of Saul’s servants said, “One of Jesse’s sons from Bethlehem is a talented harp player. Not only that—he is a brave warrior, a man of war, and has good judgment. He is also a fine-looking young man, and the LORD is with him.” Can you believe that? The son they were talking about is David. Who knew?
In one moment, David was minding his own business, tending to his father’s sheep, when one of his brothers pulled him out of the field in order to be anointed the next king of Israel. After his impromptu coronation, he went back to the field, and now, unbeknownst to him, his name is being brought up before king Saul. Not only that, but the servant who brought up David’s name told the king that he was a talented harp player, a brave warrior, a good looking young man with good judgment, and above all of that, the servant said the Lord was with David. How in the world could the servant know all of that? Here’s the answer: God! This was a setup if there ever was one. Saul sent messengers to Jesse to say, “Send me your son David, the shepherd.” We will stop here for today.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things:
1. Your calling will attract the favor you need to walk in it.
Once the grace for national leadership was on David, although he did not know what to do and tried to go back to life as he knew it, God set things in motion for him. His name came up before the king. Before he knew it, he was summoned to the palace.
— When God’s grace is on you for a certain area, that grace will open doors for you that no man can close and close doors that no man can open.
— These are doors you could not open or close by yourself. Things will happen for you, not because you did anything to earn them, or because you deserve them. Things will happen simply because God’s grace is on your life to do what He called you to do.
— Since God called you to your purpose, He is obligated to help you fulfill it. He will grace you with what you need internally and also work through people and circumstances, externally, to set you up in ways you could never set yourself up.
— David could have worked all his life and never had an audience with the king. But once the favor of God was in operation in his life, favor did in a moment, what labor could have ever done in a lifetime. The favor of God will bring you before all those you need to be exposed to in order to maximize your purpose and potential.
— God’s gift on your life will bring you before the people you need to meet in order to bring it to pass. Your gift will make room for you (Prov 18:16).
2. You can’t earn Grace or Favor, but you should appreciate both.
I am a recipient of grace and favor of God. I know I could never earn either. However, I can (and should) thank God for His grace and favor on my life.
— You can’t earn God’s goodness, but when it comes, your proper response is to say, “Thank You!”
— David did not earn his calling, but he was certainly thankful for it. David wound up being King, just like God called him to be, and he wrote some of the great psalms of praise contained in the Bible. David was thankful. So should we.
— No matter what is going on in your life, you should enter every day with thanksgiving on your lips, a smile on your face, a song in your heart, and a spring in your step. Even if you are going through a “rough patch” right now, and this season is harder than the last, you should still be able to acknowledge that God has been better to you than you have been to Him. Never cease to give God praise.
3. The greater the assignment, the longer the time between the promise and the performance.
— Joseph was called to be the Prime Minister of Egypt. He received this calling in a dream. He received it when he was 17 years old. In the dream he was a ruler. He even ruled over his own family. He did not become the Prime Minister of Egypt until he was 30. He did not experience the moment he saw in his God-given dream until he was 39. He went through hell for 13 years before he started enjoying the life God called him into. In the end, the challenges were worth it.
— David was called to be the King of Israel. He received this calling in a makeshift coronation ceremony, in his home, in front of his family. This happened when he was 17 years old. He would not become the a King until he was 30. But at 30, he was not the King of Israel. He was the King of Judah (a subset of the overall nation). He did not become King of the unified Israelf until he was 37. David went through hell, like Joseph, from ages 17-30. Both experiences seemingly overwhelming challenges for 13 long years. Both were being processed and prepared for their purpose.
— If God called you to do something great, then you should do two things. First, OPEN your heart to the enormity of the assignment. Your legs will never take you where your mind has never been. You have to be able to SEE yourself the way God sees you. You must BELIEVE what God believes about you. Once you get pat that, you must prepare yourself. You will require faith and patience. If the calling is great, the preparation phase will be great and more-than-likely long. So be sober about it. Let the reality of your preparation phase sink in. Once you know what to expect, you will be able to HOLD ON long enough to see what God said come to pass.
If you look at the examples of Joseph and David, you see that God revealed what the END was going to look like, but He never gave them the details. He never showed them all the challenges they were going to have to face in order to become the men they were called to be. That’s how it is with God. He will reveal to you an image of YOU WALKING IN YOUR CALLING. You may see yourself speaking to a crowd, or running your own business, or walking across the stage. But God will not show you all the HELL you are going to have to endure and overcome along the way. Just keep reminding yourself of two things:
a) God called you to this. It is not something you came up with on your own.
b) God is with you. He has graced you for it. He has empowered you to endure and overcome, so you can become the man/woman you are called to be!
Declaration of Faith:
Father, You called me to my purpose. I have OPENED my heart to Your call. I can see it. I believe it. Therefore, I will never be the same. You are setting things in motion for me. You open doors that no man can close. You close doors for me that no man can open. Your grace on my life attracts favor. You bring me before the people I need to meet. You move upon their hearts to help me in ways I cannot help myself. You empower me to do what I could never do without You! Things are happening for me. Your desire for me is playing out right before my eyes. GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
