Dear God,
I pray for everyone reading today. I pray for their hearts, their souls, their minds, and their spirits to be strengthened. I pray for them to know that nothing will stop You from pursuing them. I pray that they know that there is more than enough grace, mercy, and forgiveness for their transgressions. Lord, I pray that we would have joy in the present and hope in the future. Healing is here. Love is here. Joy is here. Jesus is here with us.
Love,
Grace
Today hasn’t been anything special, but God has used this as an opportunity to remind me that small, mundane, everyday moments create my whole life. How I choose to live each second decides everything. I was inspired by the book of Samuel today. Here’s another blog I wrote about Samuel and the legacy of him and his mom, Hannah.
Samuel was a prophet for God, and he was like an advisor/friend/father figure to Saul, the crowned king of Israel. God had chosen him actually. Picked him out, and after years of being in a position of power and prestige, Saul’s heart had soiled. He was more concerned about keeping his status and standing in front of people instead of worrying about God’s desires. He chose disobedience. He chose to follow his own understanding. He chose what was best for him even if that meant God left.
God wanted a new king for his people. God wanted a man after His own heart, and so He tells Samuel to go out to Bethlehem and find the new king. God doesn’t give Samuel a name. He doesn’t describe the guy at all. But we have to understand something, Samuel was sad. Samuel was disappointed that Saul had turned away from God.
Saul was all Samuel knew when it came to a king for Israel. He had no clue who this king would be. Even if this was what God wanted, it wasn’t easy for Samuel to go. It was also at the risk of his life. He was going to be emotionally and physically vulnerable if he was going to go out and obey God.
God told Samuel to bring some oil to anoint the new king. So off Samuel goes, and he’s instructed by God to invite Jesse and his sons. That narrows it…the guy only has 8 sons! Sometimes God will give you just enough information to go on, but not enough that you can do everything on your own.
So, first, Samuel sees Eliab. The oldest of Jesse’s sons. They don’t describe him, but I bet he looked like Saul. Saul was tall, handsome, and probably kinda built. You know, he probably looked like a king. Samuel is ready to pour based on what he experienced before, but God wants to give you a different experience. God wants to surprise you. God wants to change some patterns.
And it’s not Eliab. It’s not any of the 7 sons Jesse tells to go to Samuel, and you know what’s crazy to me? Not once is it mentioned that Jesse calls for his youngest, David, to come see Samuel. That’s how insignificant he was to his own father. I’m sure he loved him, but I don’t think he saw David as a king.
Sometimes people will only be able to love you, but they’ll be blind to the person God called you to be. They’ll doubt what you know God called you to do. They might make fun of you. They might try to dissuade you. They might tell you that it’s even sinful if you do, but go off God. Go off what God says because to God, you are not who anyone else thinks or says you are. You’re not even who you say you are.
Go off what God says about you.
So, Samuel finally meets David. Youngest of the lot. Simple shepherd boy. “He was a healthy, good-looking boy with a sparkle in his eyes.” But he was only a king because God said so. And the Lord told Samuel to pour his oil on David. God will tell you to pour again. God is telling me to prepare to pour again! To trust again. To believe again. To be open to experiencing something that I haven’t before. To risk being vulnerable again. To not let appearances deceive me. To be surprised.
I hope you continue to heal on your journeys. I have come so far, and I’m excited. I’m not jaded. I’m not dissuaded by what other people have spoken over my life. If anything, maybe I am everything they say I am, but not anymore. No longer. That label has an expiration date. Replaced by: daughter. Replaced by: beloved child with whom I am well pleased. Replaced by the cross that born sin, shame, and the grave itself so that I could be someone new. Someone I’m surprised by. That is what God does. Let yourself pour again.
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