Everyone is in search of something tangible in life. The quaesitum might differ, but the concept is universal. The search for God, love, meaning, happiness, relationships, solution, peace, material riches, purpose, information are not uncommon.
We’re all trying to find the map that leads to our destinations. A map that will direct us to find that love or happiness or peace of mind at last. The map represents a pattern or principle that can be adhered to in order to arrive at a desired end. The joy that comes with finally accomplishing or finding that which one had been hoping and working towards cannot be explained.
The search began in the garden of Eden. Although, Adam couldn’t lay his hands on what he was searching for, but he knew that he couldn’t find it in the animals that were brought before him. I believe this might resonate with some of us. There are times and seasons when we don’t really know what we truly need, but we know when we haven’t found them in our surroundings. It might be in terms of relationships, job, geographical location or career path.
And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. – Genesis 2:20
Within obscurities lies a degree of clarity on what isn’t meant for us. We might not have clarity on the career paths we’re meant to embark on but we have this gut feeling that the path people are proposing for us isn’t meant for us. If you happen to be at this stage, don’t settle for less and do not succumb to pressure. Go will grant you clarity.
Eventually, God put Adam to deep sleep and created Eve from one of his ribs. Adam passed the test. Peradventure, if Adam had selected maybe a dog to fill that void within him, maybe God wouldn’t have brought Eve his way. That was just an assumption. I believe that God sometimes brings the good and the better before us before finally bringing the best. But if we settle for the good and better, we wouldn’t experience His best.
And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. – Genesis 2:23
Although, Adam was deep asleep when God created Eve and God never disclosed his agenda to bring a woman into the garden, but when Adam laid his eyes on her, he knew where she had come from. He understood her identity and knew that she was what the depth of him was searching for.
Sometimes, we fail to recognize the answer to our prayers, the solution to our problems and the key to our breakthrough. Adam was able to look past the surface into the realm of the Spirit to understand the mystery behind Eve. Although, he was physically asleep when she was created, however, he understood that the Spiritual realm recorded everything that took place. Hence, he sought the wisdom that is from above and he was granted access.
Opportunities always present themselves as problems. Problem can be likened to the outer part of a coconut while opportunity can be likened to the inner part. You need to crack the problem to uncover the opportunity.
Likewise, while operating in the prophetic, someone you’ve never met can reveal things about your life and lineage because they’re able to tap into the frequency in the realm of the Spirit. An opportunity was presented as a problem before Joseph in scriptures and when he solved the problem, he was made the Prime Minister in Egypt. David didn’t see Goliath as a problem, he saw him as an opportunity.
And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave their testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfill all my will. – Acts 13:22
King Saul happened to be the first King of Israel. He had a humble beginning; a man loved by God and people. But along the way, he deviated from God and God decided to replace him as King.
Therefore, God searched the whole earth for a man after His own heart and found a boy in the house of Jesse from the tribe of Judah. In 1 Samuel 16, God sent Samuel to Jesse’s house in order to anoint the next King of Israel.
When Jesse’s household was brought before Samuel, he knew that he was in the right household. He had taken the first step by obeying God. He neither went to the tribe of Dan nor Benjamin, he headed straight to the tribe of Judah. And after he arrived, he took the next step by heading to the house of Jesse.
But there was a slight problem. Samuel could not accurately discern God’s thoughts because he went to Jesse’s house searching for a MAN after God’s heart according to the word of the Lord. But God was actually referring to a boy with a man’s heart.
Perhaps, you might have forgotten the circumstances that surrounded Saul’s anointment and appointment as King. God told Samuel that He would send a man his way from the tribe of Benjamin and this man would be the first King of Israel. And that man happened to be Saul. Therefore, from past experience, Samuel was used to anointing men, not boys as leaders
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” – 1 Samuel 16:7
With this in mind, when Samuel saw Eliab, he thought that he must be the man God was referring to based on his appearance. Fortunately, Samuel was correctable, a man of the Spirit that understood diverse dimensions of God and he wouldn’t anoint until he hears confirmation from God.
This revelation caused a paradigm shift in the life of Samuel, so he knew that he had to be led by the Spirit of God to recognize “this man after God’s heart”. He knew he didn’t come all the way to birth what he conceived in the spirit through carnality. As a matter of fact, he was in the same situation Adam was in the garden of Eden.
In the garden of Eden, God brought different animals before Adam and Adam gave them identities and names but he couldn’t find one that could serve as helpmate unto him. In a similar way, God brought each of Jesse’ sons before Samuel and his discernment was put to test to accurately discern who God had chosen.
When Adam passed this test, God eventually brought Eve and he was able to discern her identity and purpose. Likewise, David was eventually brought before Samuel after Samuel rejected all of Jesse’s sons. And when Samuel saw the boy David, he understood that although he might have been a boy in stature, but he was a man in his heart and before God. He understood the mystery of the future, that a man’s future lies within him. And that whenever God speaks of a man, he always refers to the future trapped within Him. In a similar way, God called Gideon a man of valor even though he was the weakest man in his father’s house and at the moment, he was threshing wheat in a wine press.
Whenever God speaks to us through revelations, dreams, visions, we must be sensitive to discern His deepest thoughts. He does not speak of what is, He always speaks of what could be. He declares the end from the beginning and the beginning from the end. Therefore, prophecy is a declaration of the future. It’s a declaration of what could be. A declaration of a dimension that exist but man is yet to gain access to.
In acts 13, during worship the Holy Spirit instructed the Apostles to separate unto Him Paul and Barnabas for the work He had called them for. So, after fasting and prayer, the Apostles laid hands on them and sent them off. The prophetic declared their future but the laying of hands was an activation. It’s impossible for the prophetic to find fulfillment without an activation. Activation doesn’t have to be done by laying of hands, it could be triggered on your altar of prayer or praise or worship or through the patterns God instructs you to follow.
The future is not a time to come. It’s simply a dimension that already exists, but man is yet to gain access to.
There are times we pray for a tree but God decides to send us a seed. If we’re unable to look past the present and the surface to discern that the future of a seed is a tree and if properly managed, it can become a forest, we’ll allow opportunities pass us by. When we need chairs, God presents us with a tree. It’s man’s responsibility to turn a tree into a chair, not God’s. When God wanted to save earth, He didn’t send Jesus as a man, He was sent as a seed in the form of a baby. I believe that sometimes we’re not patient enough, we always want the finished products, most people don’t want the raw materials.
When we see people the way God sees them, we don’t see the present, we discern what could be. We’re able to look at a timid man and call him a man of Valor. We’re able to look at the sick and call them healthy. We’re able to look at dead situations and breathe the breath of God into them.
Your David might not match God’s description at the moment, but its future definitely matches.
In our quest to search for that which God had promised us, we must endeavor to be led by the Holy Spirit throughout the process. It’s not enough to go to the tribe of Judah to anoint a King. As a matter of fact, it’s not even enough to go further by going to Jesse’s house to anoint any King. We must endeavor that we don’t anoint Eliab instead of David.
Within God’s will lies his deepest will.
Your David can represent that idea that’s meant to launch you into limelight. It might look insignificant and immature today, but if you and God partner on it, slowly but surely, it will be established.
Your David can represent a vision or dream or word of prophecy you received this year or years ago. When God spoke about it, He spoke about the end.; its manifestation. Do not despise the days of little beginning. Be sensitive to discern the shape and form it will take because most times God sends us the seed and when we’re faithful with it, the manifestation becomes inevitable. May you not look down on your miracle or the answer to your prayers just because they don’t match your expectations at the moment.
In our walk with God, we must be patient and discerning. Our expectations must align with God’s expectations. Samuel’s expectation was to anoint a grown up man, but God’s expectation was to anoint a boy with a heart of a man.
The more specific God is over a matter, the smaller our circle of choices should be.
If God had instructed Samuel to anoint a King in the tribe of Judah, he could have gone to any house to anoint a King. But because God was specific, he knew he had to go to Jesse’s house. And due to that specific word, all of David’s brothers were rejected as Kings. God’s intention wasn’t to make any of Jesse’s sons King of Israel, His intention was to make only the man that was after His heart the King, David.
There’s a huge difference between hearing God’s voice and discerning His heart. Moses happened to be a man that was able to discern God’s heart.
At a point, God told Moses that He wanted to destroy Israel and start all over from him. But Moses saw past the words God spoke, he discern God’s heart and knew that God loved Israel and didn’t want them to perish. So, he appeased to God’s heart.
There was another incident where God said He would not go with Israel to the promise land else he would destroy them. He wanted to send His angels to go with Israel. But Moses declined the offer and stated that they would rather remain in the wilderness with God than go to the promise land without Him. I wonder if any of us would be able to take the same stand Moses took if found in the same situation. This reveals that protection and blessings are not proofs of God’s presence in a person’s life.
In Genesis 18, God informed Abraham about His plans to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. But Abraham discerned God’s heart, hence, he pleaded with God not to destroy the city for the sake of 10 people and God agreed. Eventually, Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed since 10 righteous people were not found but Lot’s family was saved.
When we’re able to accurately discern God’s heart, even when He opens certain doors that are good, we shut them by yourselves and seek Him to open the best door. Since God loves freedom, He will always present us with multiple choices.
Do not despise the days of little beginning. The beginning might be small, but the latter end shall be greater. In our search for hope, love, happiness, we must let God be our map. We should allow Him to direct our paths and we should be sensitive to His leading. God is not a man that will lie or the son of man that will repent. If He says your miracle is here and you’re in the midst of tests and trials, He will surely turn things around for you.
May we not anoint Eliab in the place of David.
May we patiently wait on God and be sensitive to His leading.
May we accept and see what God sees in our David.