Who’s Following Who
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. Psalm 23:1
David had made up in his mind who God was to him. He first acknowledged that there was a relationship between him and the Lord. He then identified the Lord based on who He was in his life and what the Lord actually did for him. In doing so, David also revealed his position in this relationship. David was a follower of God and he was committed to it.
David did not start out as King of Israel. He started out as a boy caring for sheep on his father’s land. David also did not become well known until he defeated his enemy Goliath, publicly. I said publicly because David (with Gods’ help) had killed large animals like lions and bears while protecting his father’s sheep. But no one was around when he did these things. Had someone seen him, they would have thought even then, what a courageous boy David was. However David did not do it for accolades. David was committed to his earthly father. He had been given a job to do and he did his best with what he had. He was good at fighting so he defended those sheep with his own hands.
God saw this character in David at an early age. Each day David would rise to get started with those sheep. This was verification he acknowledged his assignment. Heading out to the sheep indicated his intentions to care for them. Taking them out and bringing them back safely each day was confirmation he was fully committed.
God has placed something special inside each of us. Even when we don’t see it, those characteristics are manifesting into something bigger. God sent His prophet Samuel to anoint David to one day become king. Some say David was between 14 and 17 years old when he was anointed for a position that would not manifest until he was age 30. God took David from following sheep, to one day become king over His people. (2 Samuel 7:8)
Sometimes God shows us through dreams who or what we can become. Sometimes He gives us gifts that we don’t even recognize until years later. The key is commit to what you’re doing. Do it to the best of your ability and ask God for help. God one day, spoke to another servant of His named Jeremiah who had also started out with God as a teenager. God told Jeremiah, call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things that you do not know about. (Jeremiah 33:3) You see God wanted Jeremiah to seek after Him. He wanted to show Jeremiah hidden things. Yes there are hidden secrets and treasures that we do not know about. But God knows.
Everything that you are to become, and everything that you need is hidden in God. Our lives are literally hidden in Christ. I often state God said choose life or choose death; but I tell you choose life. (Deuteronomy 30:15-20) When we give our lives to Christ, He becomes responsible. He leads us to the best places to get exactly what we need. The Lord loves you and He knows the path you should take. This is why it was easy for David to declare, “The Lord is my shepherd. Only the Lord knows the way in which we should go. Love, trust Him and obey (follow) Him. And just like David, you shall not want for anything.
Be blessed ~ Minister Jackie