Every once and a while I receive a revelation from God that is simply amazing…but it hurts. This is one such revelation…
All of my life I have been blessed. I want you to understand that when I list these attributes or gifts, it is not for the sake of bragging or out of pride, it is merely to explain the change that I am going through. From the outside, people might look at me and think that I have it all together. They may also think that the Lord has gifted me with many abilities like playing guitar, public speaking, an encouraging spirit, and a friendly personality. In high school and even part of college I was the easy choice to head up different events or committees because of my personality and skills set. I was the “poster boy”…by the world’s view. And here is where we find Saul in 1 Samuel.
Saul was the obvious choice for king in his day when the Israelites were begging to have a king. He was tall, strong, and authoritative. Easy candidate. So he was chosen king by the people. Now, an important note here is that he was also chosen by God, but only to appease the people with what they wanted. At first glance, it doesn’t seem bad. He’s a good choice right? God only chose him to give the people what they wanted, but he knew that Saul was going to tear the Israelites apart.
Ok, so I know that I am not king of anything nor would I want to be, but the Lord revealed to me certain aspects of this story that have rang true in my life. As cool as this revelation was, it meant that I had to admit that I was conforming to the world so as to please the world. It also meant admitting to pride. I took on attributes and skills in order to make me look better and appear as a more obvious choice for a leader. Only after reading further, did I realize that there was more to being a leader than the world’s standards…
Meet David. Youngest son of Jesse. Shepherd. And not appearing too strong. It is not the appearance or even what the world would think of David that made him a great leader. It was his humility, his service, his faith, and his vulnerability with the Lord. God did not care that he was a boy, he cared that he was a servant and that he was obedient. Whoa! I realize that God has blessed me with certain abilities, but without my heart being a heart of service, they are useless!
So I find myself trading Saul…for David. Trading pride for humility. Trading my strength, my talents, my abilities, for the Lord’s strength. For his abilities. I am no longer me. I am in Him. I want to know that in any situation where I’m leading that it is because of my heart of service and humility and not solely based on how good I can do something.
“So here I am, all of me, finally, everything, wholly wholly wholly yours” (Wholly Yours – David Crowder Band)
Trading Saul for David…I walk through the portal and come out on the other side. The old is dead and the new has come. Praise Him.
