"My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,' says the Lord.'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways,And My thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8-9)
The more I study and read God's word the more I realize how differently His ways are than ours. God's views are so much different than the way the world would view things. So if it were up to us to choose people in whom God would work through how would we go about that? Would we choose the most skilled, gifted, talented, handsome or beautiful person? According to the way the Lord chose David that's not exactly how He went about it. You see He sees things man can't-he goes straight for the heart! With what man is impressed with God necessarily isn't! We look outwardly He looks inwardly.
"Now the Lord said to Samuel, "You have mourned long enough for Saul. I have rejected him as king of Israel, so fill your flask with olive oil and go to Bethlehem...Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you which of his sons to anoint for me."...When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, "Surely this is the Lord's anointed!" But the Lord said to Samuel, "Don't judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn't see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."
Now this happened to all seven of Jesse's sons but Samuel was a bit thrown off because none of them, as impressive as they looked, were the Lord's anointed.
"Then Samuel asked, "Are these all the sons you have?" "There is still the youngest," Jesse replied. "But he's out in the fields watching the sheep and goats."
Wow! Jesse didn't even see it right to bring David in with the rest of the sons to even be considered! He was out tending to sheep and goats! Jesse obviously didn't see what God could see! Jesse saw a shepherd animals but God saw a SHEPHERD OF PEOPLE! God saw a warrior! God saw a giant killer!
"So Jesse sent for him. He was dark and handsome, with beautiful eyes. And the Lord said, "This is the one; anoint him."
Can you imagine David coming in smelling like sheep dung, hot, sweaty, and stinky? Yes, he was dark and handsome but this isn't why God chose him! Can you imagine the brothers reaction when they heard the prophets words, "This is the one"! Can you imagine what they thought?
"What!" David! "The guy that watches sheep?" "The guy that isn't trained? "The guy that isn't educated?"
Isn't that how people react sometimes? "God could never use this person or that person you don't know what they've done" "God could never use that person they don't use good English. God could never use this person they don't speak well in public."
You see, what the brothers didn't know is that David was in training. He learned to hear God's voice as he was peacefully staring at the stars at night while the sheep lay asleep. He learned how to worship God in the fields with his harp as he sat for hours as the sheep grazed. He learned courage, boldness, trust, and faith when he had to fight off enemies like the lion and bear! He was in God's school of training! Yes, no one else could see but God was at work in this young man's heart because He saw a King!
My prayer is, "Lord, help us to see things the way you see them. Help us see the potential in people that you see!"
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