A perk of being married to someone who preaches is that I get to see the process of forming a message. Almost every Wednesday my husband, Daniel, will give me the overall theme for what he's going to talk about that night. A couple of weeks ago he was speaking on a topic I couldn't wait to share with you ladies: The life of David.
David has sixty-six chapters of the Old testament dedicated to himself. He is one of the most documented figures in all of ancient history. He is the inspiration for countless pieces of art, and even some say more art than any other individual in history, apart from Jesus Christ alone. The statue of David in Florence attracts over a million visitors a year, grossing over $7 million annually. He is the shepherd king, the warrior poet, slayer of Goliath, and the great king over Gods people. All the other kings of Israel will be measured by him. Finally, the greatest of all, he is nicknamed by God Himself as the "man after God's own heart."
This man must be important. Truly all of this sounds grand and amazing, but to me, the best part of David's story is how it started even before we meet David himself. We pick up the story where Samuel is grieving over King Saul, who had just been rejected by God. Samuel had served the nation as a judge and spiritual leader of the people all the way up until his old age. He thought Saul was supposed to be a great king. Instead, Saul failed, led the people away from God, and became a disappointment. But God had a better plan and a better king: David.
Pray to hope for the future.
Now the Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons.”
1 Samuel 16:1
That word "provide" translates as the word see. It’s the dominate word in Hebrew in this passage, showing up nine times. The irony is that Samuel is grieving over a broken past, but God sees the bright future. Samuel is grieving over Saul, but God is preparing a David.
Have this ever happened to you? Have you ever been so clouded by grief that it's hard to hope for the future? I know I have. We see this displayed in Samuel's life. He had expectations of what the future would look like but God had other plans. Better plans. The second paragraph in this email listed all of David's accomplishments, but Samuel didn't know that, just like we don't know what's to come. But God does.
My encouragement to you today is to remind you that the best is yet to come. Just like Samuel shows us, we can grieve, but do not grieve without hope. The Lord truly wants the best for His Children and what He's preparing for us is better than what we can ask or imagine according to His will.
Prayer Points:
● Jesus, would You remind me that You are with me in the times I feel down?
● Jesus, help me to hope for the future that You have for me.
● God, I ask that whenever my plans are different than Yours that I rejoice knowing You have my best intentions.
Father,
Thank You for Your Word. Thank You for giving us hope through Your Son, Jesus. God, would You help me to remember that You have good plans for me. Help me to have my eyes on You. Jesus, whenever I'm disappointed, sad, or even grieving I know that You are preparing something better than I could've ever asked or hoped for. Lord, thank You for Your kindness to me. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Your Friend,
Emma Staubs