Chosen In Obscurity


Message: In 1 Samuel God told the prophet that he was going to see the man he would anoint to be king at a particular time and place. A day later an
unassuming Saul of Kish (and his servant) had come into the city looking for some missing donkeys that belonged to his father. They had been gone long enough that he was now afraid that his father would lose concern for the
missing donkeys and instead start wondering what happened to them. Saul’s servant knew that there was a “seer” (prophet of God) who would be able to tell them where to go to locate the missing donkeys so they discussed what kind of gift would be appropriate to take the prophet and began to ask around about how to locate him. They had absolutely no clue that they were on a
divine assignment that would not only change Saul’s life but also the entire nation of Israel. As I read this I thought about all of the divine assignments we are walking out. Often times we have no idea what they are at the time. We may be busy in our regular routines, and like Saul, even distressed looking for something lost. When we look back later on we can sometimes connect the dots of events that seemed so ordinary at the time and appreciate the beauty of perfectly aligned moments where God was at work. As I read this I wondered what Saul’s demeanor was during his time of stress and I thought about how important it was that the servant he was with pointed him towards the prophet seeking God. Clearly God was not choosing Saul out of that very moment. God was watching his life. Although we will not likely be stumbling upon being anointed as king, we are definitely being called for kingdom purposes. Nothing is random and who we are during our normal mundane life
matters. God sees us when we don’t believe we are on the radar for anything special. He knows are character and he is making plans for us. Saul didn’t have any idea what he was being considered for. He was just doing life as usual. This challenges me to remain faithful even when our influence feels obscure and minimal. Not because we hope to be chosen for something as powerful as being anointed king, but because God is watching our lives and has plans in mind for us that we have never dreamed of.

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