On this past Sunday I taught a Sunday School lesson entitled "Overlooked and Unexpected". It referenced the story of David being anointed king by the Prophet Samuel. Just to give a quick run-down of events; God had rejected King Saul because of his disobedience and had chosen another to be King of Israel. God's choice was a young man by the name of David; this was a very unexpected choice. He was the youngest of all of Jesse's sons and ruddy in appearance. He was a keeper of the sheep but took his job of protecting them very serious. The Bible depicts that his eldest brother Eliab was tall in stature, masculine and nice looking, a king-like in appearance no doubt. So much so that the Prophet Samuel looked upon him and thought surely, he must be the chosen king. But God in His wisdom, corrected Samuel and warned him that He was not looking on the outward stature of any man, but rather his heart. This caused Samuel to continue to look at Jesse's sons until his last son, the overlooked son, had come forth. To his surprise, this son was indeed God's choice to be the next king of Israel.
I posed this question, "Have any of you felt overlooked?". "Have you ever felt like the unexpected choice?". Were you made to feel this way at work, in ministry, in school, or at home? I can personally identify with this feeling. There were times that I felt overlooked and unappreciated, and the sad thing was that I allowed myself to feel this way based on other people's opinion of me. For those of you that can relate, there is good news for us all. God doesn't go by what men sees or what men think of you. His goal is to redeem your soul and to do that He has to work on you from the inside, so His focus is on the inside. Most times, we as mere men can only comprehend what they see. I'm so glad God is not like us; we judge based on what we see and often we miss out on great opportunities and great relationships because of our own short-sightedness. Philippians 2:5 says, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:". We must get out of our own thinking and start seeing ourselves and others as God sees us and them.
Though David, was overlooked and a very unexpected choice, he still was the right choice, God's choice. God doesn't care how many times you are overlooked. He doesn't care that others doubt you or your abilities. At times even you may doubt what you can do or who you can become. None of those matters. What really matters is what God sees in you and who He has called you to be. You’re still God’s choice. Sometimes being overlooked is a blessing in disguise because the one who is looking isn't ready for your greatness; and when others do not appreciate a thing, they abuse it. Times and seasons are for a reason and seasons are a benefit both to you and to those around you. Although King David was anointed king before his family and the Prophet Samuel, he was not yet ready for the throne. He had to be groomed, equipped, and trained to be a ruler of men. God's timing is perfect and though His anointing is already on you, you must believe that the right time is approaching and know that your time for greatness, your time for increase and your time for better is coming!
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