70 He chose David his servant
and took him from the sheep pens;
71 from tending the sheep he brought him
to be the shepherd of his people Jacob,
of Israel his inheritance.
72 And David shepherded them with integrity of heart;
with skillful hands he led them.
God took David from the sheep pens and rose him to greatness. He was NO ONE that caught anybody’s eye to be a prospect to lead God’s people. He kept his head down and did the dirty work day in and day out, even fighting lions and bears (1 Samuel 17:36). Although no one else was watching, God was.
So, God pulled him out of obscurity and put him in position to bring glory to Himself in a big way! He used all that David was doing (and more importantly BECOMING) in the sheep pens to take down Goliath, to save his people.
For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.
Never feel like your daily “sheep pen” duties and battles are in vain. God is watching (Hebrews 6:10; 1 Timothy 5:25). You are building your foundation (Matthew 7:24-27) for bringing glory to God.
Insights: You’ll never be able to defeat your Goliath’s in the future if you’re not fighting your lions and bears now. This is where the training happens. Use your current struggles to prepare you for the bigger ones to come.
You’ll never fight the lions and bears if you’re not out doing the daily mundane duties of “tending the sheep.” Do the small, seemingly insignificant things well. I don’t know what God’s plans are for your life, but I do know they are to prosper you (Jeremiah 29:11) and that He is able to do immeasurably more than you ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20-21)! So whatever your current lot (sheep pen) in life is, or what struggles (lions and bears) you are facing, stick with it. God has something great in store… a Goliath for you to slay!
Reflection: What is one victory God has given you in your life for which you can point back to a time of testing and training that helped you to succeed in “battle” against a Goliath?
Action Steps:
- In your personal journal, write down one challenge you are currently facing that you can see as a crucible for refinement and training that God is using for your future success and His glory.
- Share one thing you got from this post in the comments section!
- Be more intentional in your day-to-day life so as to live and work with excellence. Start your day off right. Set yourself up for success with routines to maximize your productivity! You can download my tool for doing this HERE.
So true. I love this: “You’ll never be able to defeat your Goliath’s in the future if you’re not fighting your lions and bears now.” If you’re experiencing challenges, use them to learn and prepare you for a great victory!!