With a few exceptions most people don’t feel like they are anybody’s favorite. It started in grade school when they picked teams and you crossed your fingers you wouldn’t be chosen last. It’s different with God. He loved you when you didn’t even care about Him. He saw your potential when you hadn’t yet drawn a breath. I have discovered that God picks people the world overlooks to do mighty things for Him. The Bible is full of stories like Gideon and David and even Mary the mother of Jesus. They didn’t look all that great to the world. They may not have been in the “Who’s Who” books of their day.
Let’s look at the story of David being chosen over his more-qualified brothers. God gave Samuel direction of who he would pick to be the next king and it was a mere lad who had tended sheep. What Samuel didn’t know was what David had been doing while tending the sheep. He had learned to listen to God. David had learned he had a Covenant with Almighty God. David had conquered fear over lions and bears and been applying the Covenant to the predators in his little world. God saw what he had been doing and understood that David had both the walk with God, understanding of his rights as a covenant person and also that he had applied God’s Word and conquered fear. So David was already proven in God’s eyes. But God had to point it out to Samuel.
1 Samuel 16:7 “But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.”
So what exactly is God looking for in a giant killer or leader today? The same things: a humble walk with God, proven faithfulness to perform a job, and courage in the midst of trouble. The world says it’s all about who you know in order to be promoted. And they are right. When you know the Most High God personally, He is able to speak to bosses and people around you to bring you into a promotion at just the right time.
So how do you keep patient while waiting for promotion? Trust God that He knows when you are ready and secondly do your work heartily as unto the Lord and not merely men. At times you must go after the promotion and let the leader know you want to pursue it. But throughout the process, learn to enjoy your journey and get to know God’s voice along the way.
