From a Sheep Pen to a Palace

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

It seems to me that God ignites a Christ follower’s heart in ordinary ways. Let me say it this way: Your burning passion for God is kindled in the routine “sheep pens” of life. Things like, a dead end career, making monthly house payments, building relationships, practicing an instrument, paying for car repairs — from these kinds of sheep pens, God calls us to greater things, higher levels of significance. That’s exactly what happened to David, King of Israel. 

David was called from his father’s sheep pen to a palace. A shepherd in David’s day was a thankless, smelly job. It was relegated to the “nobodies” of the day. But that is where God ignited the heart of Israel’s future King. 

He learned how to shepherd sheep, which helped him lead men into battle. He developed a heart of integrity, the same heart that led Israel to greatness. He learned how to nurture, protect, and care for his father’s sheep, which became a skill of leading a nation to worship God. All the things that made David great were learned in the sheep pen. 

Working with sheep in sheep pens is unpleasant and stinks! And, maybe you feel like you are alone in one, or feel you have been abandoned in one. Trust me on this, God doesn’t waste your time while in a sheep pen. He’s simply preparing you for tomorrow’s destiny. 

I think God does some of His best work in sheep pens. How about you?

He chose His servant David, calling him from the sheep pens. He took David from tending the ewes and lambs and made him the shepherd of Jacob’s descendants — God’s own people, Israel. He cared for them with a heart of integrity and led them with skillful hands. Psalm 78.70-72