Are You Being Prepared?
The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. (1 Samuel 17:37)
I worked at a fast-food restaurant for over two years in high school. Some aspects of the job were difficult. Customers verbalized their anger while I apologized for the unwanted slice of cheese on the sandwich I didn’t make. Soon after I left, I applied for a computer job at my university. The employers were more interested in my fast-food experience than my computer skills. They wanted to know that I knew how to deal with people. My experience in unpleasant circumstances prepared me for a better job!
Young David persevered through an experience we might well call unpleasant. When Israel was challenged to send someone to fight Goliath, no one was brave enough to step up to the task. No one but David. King Saul was reluctant to send him to fight, but David explained that as a shepherd he had fought and killed a lion and a bear for the sake of the sheep (1 Sam. 17:34–36). Confidently he stated, “The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine” (v. 37).
Being a shepherd didn’t earn David much respect, but it prepared him to fight Goliath and eventually become Israel’s greatest king. We may be in difficult circumstances, but through them God might be preparing us for something greater!
Lord, help me to hold on during the unpleasant times in my life knowing that You may be preparing me for something greater. Amen.
Over the past few days and weeks I’ve read news stories of difficult circumstances that have unexpectedly come upon good Godly people and I as I’m certain they ask, why. Sometimes we don’t have the answers to the why in our circumstances but we do know The Way Maker and after reading this today it put a peace in my heart that despite difficult circumstances that we all have and will face we must remind ourselves of this very truth, God is preparing you for something greater, you may not see an ounce of it at this very moment but don’t loose hope. For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed (Isaiah 50:7). Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us (Hebrews 12:1).
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is 1 Samuel 17:8, 32-37, 48-50