God has a long view of things. He has plans for us, but we often cannot see the end result. God was preparing David to be king for many years and through many ordinary experiences, as well as some extraordinary ones. When he was a shepherd, it may have seemed like a lowly and lonely job. He had a lot of time to praise the Lord, pray, and probably also practice and master his music and poetry. As he defended his sheep from predators, he certainly also had opportunities to work on skills and courage that would later be used in battle. David later rose to be a leader in the Israelite army. Step by step, God was preparing David to be a military leader, worship leader, writer of many wonderful psalms, shepherd of the Israelites, and eventually a great king of Israel from whose lineage would come the Son of David, our Savior. 

 

I would not have guessed many of the plans that God has had for me. I would never have thought that God would reach out and draw me to Jesus when I was a teenager. While at college, I never would have thought that I would be interested in the field of study my parents worked in (I strongly desired to strike any path but theirs), but God showed me how education complemented my Christian perspective and helped to unite and complete my varied life experiences. When I finished my service in worship ministries at Browncroft, I would not have thought that my next service would be as an elder. God delights in giving good gifts and surprising us. There are times when it is hard to see what plan God could be working in our lives and circumstances. He is building each of His followers into the person that He envisions. My challenge is to patiently trust that God is at work in my life in subtle as well as obvious ways, to stay close to Him each day, and to wait upon his timing and guidance. May God help you to trust that He has good plans for you and keep you close to Himself as you meditate on these Scriptures today. I hope that you will be filled with the confidence that comes from knowing that God is doing a good work in you and preparing you for His service in the midst of circumstances that may be clear or confusing, mundane or extraordinary. 

 

A fellow traveler, 

 

Bill