By Dr. David Remedios

1 Samuel 16:1-13

I believe we are surrounded by "David's". You were born for such a time as this. You are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. You were created for a specific task. You were created for a specific calling in the Body of Christ.

The problem comes in when, as many say, you are "a day late and a dollar short." You know what I'm talking about. These experiences are all too common to most of us. God gives us some menial task and we see it as so mundane. We ask, "Is this all there is?"

God wants to settle that He does not make mistakes. I can't fulfill your destiny. Only you can fulfill the destiny that you've been called to. You alone can do it in a way that no one else can do it. There are people that you are called to influence or be around that no one else can.

God has called you and you are unique. There are conditions for you that only God knows about. However, what normally happens is there is this period when we are in the back side of some desert - doing some menial task - thinking, "This is the way it's always going to be…" or "This is the finality of my life…". I want to tell you that the journey from average to greatness just doesn't happen over night. There is a time of preparation and this is exactly what David did.

Now, I'm sure that David did not volunteer to tend the sheep. Being the youngest of eight sons and knowing the pecking order, he got stuck doing what nobody else wanted to do. He had to be out in the field long days. He had to face predators, lions and bears, who were really very much after the sheep.

David did not take his menial life, his delegated duties - that he may or may not have been in agreement with - and go have a pity party with the sheep. "Come on guys. Look at my life - how miserable I am. I'm gonna get back at my brothers for doing this to me. And how can my mom and my dad do this to me? Haven't they seen the talent that I have? Haven't they seen that I'm all that and a bag of potato chips?" You understand what I'm talking about? He was not there trying to feel sorry for himself.

David did something during that period - this was the most important period for him. David is referred to in the Bible as the man according to God's heart. That didn't happen after he got the crown.
Now, shepherding was guiding the sheep to the best place for pasture, but then he had to sit there and watch them eat. Occasionally, when a predator would come in, he had a lot of physical activity. Imagine David trying to fight off a massive lion or bear by himself. The Spirit of the Lord would come upon him. In your menial tasks there are things that God has called you to do.
David could have sat back and said, "You know, I'm stuck doing this job. So what if dad loses a couple of sheep. Big deal, let the predators have it. I'm gonna sit here. I'm gonna be safe." David could have, but God is watching. He's keeping track of what you're doing in the Secret Place. When nobody's looking, God is keeping track. God will not be mocked. Whatsoever a man sows that shall he also reap. You may mock your boss. You may get away with this or that, but God will not be mocked.

In whatever you're doing, do it with excellence. David did not have to put his life on the line. Yet he did so, because he was developing. And, in doing so, he put his life at risk doing something that he was stuck with. Now, a lot of us here in the States would say, "Well, the heck with it. I'm outta here. I'm just gonna stay right here and save as many sheep as I can." But, he used that time to develop his skills as a warrior and to develop his muscles. He took a sling shot and began to practice. He was not just killing a lion and a bear, but he was actually practicing to become a giant killer.

You are going to have to face giants in your life sooner or later. But, God is watching how you handle the lions and the bears, which are smaller. God is watching you in the secret place, when nobody is watching you. He's just seeing what you're going to do with that time.

David developed as a warrior. He led a life of consistency, integrity and character. Everybody knew where David was. When the prophet asked his brothers, "Where is David?" everybody knew where he was, "He's tending the sheep." They knew because he was consistently faithful to the task that was assigned to him even though it may not have been the most glamorous task.

David took that time of anonymity and being stuck and began to play a harp. He practiced how to become a worshipper. As a matter of fact, he became a psalmist, because he used all that "down time" and turned it into good productivity. Instead of just sitting among lemons, he chose to make lemonade. He practiced and practiced until he began to write psalms. I don't know what the first psalms were like. I'm sure he didn't start out being a great writer, but all of a sudden, after a while, when he was in that place of obedience, the revelation began to flow. And he began to look at his sheep in a different light, like he had never seen them before.

When he was practicing and watching the sheep a revelation suddenly occurred to him, "The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want!" How about that for doing a menial task? I have a feeling that most of his inspiration came from that "idle time", when he was stuck doing something he did not want to do. Could you imagine David, when he was over all the affairs of the kingdom, would he have time to sit down and write all that stuff? I doubt it. Most of those things were probably birthed during that period when he had an ample amount of time and chose to do something productive and useful with it.

So, first of all, becoming a worshipper is a choice. Becoming a worshipper in the midst of adversity is a choice. Paul and Silas did that at the midnight hour. They could have been griping and complaining and carrying on - "God, why are we stuck here? Why did you do this to us? God, why did you allow it?" - because I have been there where I have actually turned on God and blamed Him for my circumstances. I'm not proud about that, but that is what we do. When we get hurt, when we get stuck, when we feel like we've been given the short end of the stick the first one we turn on is God.

I'm amazed at how the new media or press, when something bad happens; they want to immediately credit God. They say, "This was an act of God!" But, what about when the weather is beautiful and the planes fly and land safely, they don't want to give God the credit. Imagine that! I'm making some general observations. We are so quick to ascribe God with the bad things, but that's maybe less than one percent of our lives. When ninety-nine percent of our lives are going beautifully and all things are going well, we are an unthankful generation. We fail to recognize who He is.

David had an attitude of gratitude. The attitude that he had when everything was looking down determined the altitude that he was about to be promoted too. I have a feeling that a lot of you are facing circumstances today. You feel like you have a glass ceiling over you and you cannot get past your circumstances. I'm here to tell you to take your harp with you and begin to sing a new song unto the Lord. Begin to practice and become a psalmist, because this place on the back side of the desert is giving you a lot of material with which to write your psalms. Psalms with which you are going to begin to make a difference.

I'm here to encourage you. I'm here to challenge you. Are you stuck doing something you don't want to do? Are you stuck in a place where you have been delegated? Are you in a place where it seems as though you are invisible? There are a lot of invisible people - invisible to man, but they are known by God. When God is looking to promote someone, He usually goes to the "invisible department" looking for character, faithfulness and reliability. He's not looking for flashing stars. He's not looking for people who are talented or have personality. Personality is how we describe ourselves - Character is what God says about us when nobody's looking.

"But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not consider his appearance or his sight, for I have rejected him.'" In a society where packaging is everything I think this takes on a new form. You may look professional - You may be dressed the part, but God is looking beyond what your outward appearance is. There has to be substance. There has to be a change from the inside. People of God, we don't change from the outside. As a matter of fact, religion has told us how to dress hoping that that would change the inside of us, but the Psalmist David said, "Create in me a clean heart. Renew a right spirit within me." Once the change begins on the inside, the outside, as a result, gets changed. We try to legislate morality, religion and righteousness. It cannot be. It has to be from the inside to the outside. It's what you do when nobody is looking - that is character - that is what God is looking for. Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.