January 30, 2007 @ 2:52 pm | Filed under: Uniquely Me

And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither.

And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the Lord said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he.

I Samuel 16:11-12
____________________________________

Quite a while back my pastor preached a sermon from this text. I’m thinking about it again this afternoon. Even though I’ve heard these scriptures preached from many angles before, this one focused on an area I don’t think I’ve ever really stopped to consider before. And, as the sermon continued, it spoke directly to an issue I’ve struggled with from time to time.

Both Samuel and Jesse went into this process with a certain set of expectations, or ways they thought God would move. Samuel thought it would be an older son of Jesse’s, maybe Eliab or, if not him, quite surely Abinadab, right? These sons possessed the "qualifications" Samuel felt were required to be the next King of Israel. And Jesse, of course, had gathered together those of his sons he felt bore those same "qualifications."

They had all the markings of a great leader.

All but one.

They weren’t God’s chosen.

Instead, He wanted David, a little shepherd boy, not yet grown, and certainly not what folks thought of as "King material." But God wasn’t looking for perfection, he was looking for someone to accept His anointing.

Someone not afraid to embrace that anointing. Someone with a desire for God. Someone with courage enough to walk by faith into the fight of his life, slaying giants in the process.

Someone like David, who’d long ago learned the blessing of what true worship was all about.

How does this relate to the issue in my own life?

Sometimes I’m held prisoner by my own feelings of inadequacy as a writer. Scared silly by the "restrictions" and "rules" that seem to govern the lives of writers these days. Knowing I’m meant to write, but still holding out for the day when "I’m a real writer." When others see and acknowledge the writer within, therefore validating this calling, this anointing. But it’s a vicious cycle because what happens is a form of paralyzation, of being caught in that perpetual state of "when this happens" or "if only" and – in the end – days and weeks and sometimes even months pass without any real productivity.

Yes, the anointing is still there.

But it can’t work until I find the courage to move forward into the fight of my life. Only then will I be able to slay giants and become the woman God anointed years ago.

David was anointed King and then continued to live the life of a shepherd boy, patiently waiting for God’s timing. For that one "right" moment when he would step forward and rule the kingdom of Israel. But it wasn’t a barren time – just the opposite. Every battle, every challenge, every obstacle that David encountered only served to strengthen him. These struggles prepared him for the life he was destined to live. The life of a King.

But, first and foremost, the life of a soul dedicated to the purpose God bestowed on him.

I’m destined to write stories that will minister to the souls that absorb them. I’m not the perfect writer. I don’t necessarily have the qualifications to make me that perfect writer. When folks look at me, I may not be what they envision as a prolific writer.

But God’s not looking for perfection in me any more than He did in David.

He wants me to accept my anointing.

Then wait on His timing.

I’m trying, Lord. Trying to accept your timing.

And waiting.