The Power in Small

The Lord said to Samuel, ‘How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.’ Samuel said, ‘How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me.’ And the Lord said, ‘Take a heifer with you, and say, “I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.” Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you.’ Samuel did what the Lord commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, ‘Do you come peaceably?’ He said, ‘Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.’ And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the Lord’s anointed is now before the Lord.’

But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.’

Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, ‘Neither has the Lord chosen this one.’ Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, ‘Neither has the Lord chosen this one.’ Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, ‘The Lord has not chosen any of these.’ Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Are all your sons here?’ And he said, ‘There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep.’ And Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.’ He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The Lord said, ‘Rise and anoint him; for this is the one.’ Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah. – 1 Samuel 16: 1- 13

I've been following the latest season of "Britain's Got Talent" and was just as surprised as the rest of the world when I heard Susan Boyles sing for the first time in her audition. As I talked with people though I saw a different attitude in our reasons for being surprised. Many people were shocked that someone with her physical appearance could sing like that, others commented on her age, others her perceived life circumstances. But what surprised me the most about her audition was the question in my mind - "Why hasn't anyone discovered this woman before now?!?!!?"

As the world watched her story unfold and we learned that she trained as a vocalist and had dedicated her life to caring for her mother, I couldn't help but see another side of this woman. Maybe that is what God wants us to understand in 1 Samuel 16, verse 7.

You see, David was an obedient son to his father. We don't know if he liked being a sheepherder, (personally, I'm guessing he didn't see it as his life's work!). David was also a diamond in the rough if you will. He may have been good-looking under his rough clothing, but he was a SHEEPHERDER!!! He worked hard, probably had rough hands, wasn't clean shaven, and smelled like sheep! But God knew the very inner thoughts of this boy/man and knew he could use him for a greater purpose than tending sheep. God had a standard that looked beyond all the outward signs and saw beneath the surface to David's heart. I hope I can do that with the people I meet in the world.

Maybe you would like to do that also, look into someone's heart, past their surface physical appearance and rough exterior and really see the person that God has created. Since I do not have the opportunity to travel among the millions of people in the world yet, I'm going to start small. I'm going to start with me. When I look into the mirror, I'm going to remember that graying hair and wrinkles, a few extra pounds around my waist do not make me the person God has created me to be. But my heart - well, that's another story.