Samuel asked him, "Are these all the sons you have?" "There is still the youngest," he answered, "but right now he’s tending the sheep." Samuel told Jesse, "Send for him. We won’t sit down to eat until he gets here." - 1 Samuel 16:11
There many stories within the larger story that is the life of King David and the first is his selection by Samuel as the anointed king of Israel. Before the prophet and judge anointed David, it is clear that God had already selected the young shepherd to be the next leader of His chosen people. God just had to help Samuel see it.
Choosing leaders is not easy. It is often done by those who feel painfully inadequate to accomplish the task. In this case, God (who sees every intention of our hearts) was working through a man (Samuel) who was looking elsewhere. On Jesse's (David's father's) list there were seven names, but God's list only had one name on it, and David's was the eighth.
Sometimes we need to look beyond the "obvious" to see God's choice. Beyond the seven options in front of us, there is an eighth, and that is the one that is God's desire and plan for our future.
God's providence is not blind, but full of eyes. - John Greenleaf Whittier
Comments