by Ken Lim
About four years ago, I was given a new portfolio in my company. I was plucked out (at least that was how I felt) from what I was familiar with and was plunged into an unfamiliar terrain. Initially, I started to navigate and get my orientation by clarifying with my boss about the expectations of the new role and the deliverables. There were many moments when I felt lost and helpless. Thankfully, my boss provided a lot of guidance through frequent conversations, as he understood the portfolio never existed in our company before.
A year down the road, as I looked back, I realized that it was not entirely true that I wasn’t ready for the new portfolio. There were past experiences, knowledge gained in earlier roles, relationships and networks that I had formed over the years that established the building blocks which enabled me to step up to the new role. What I needed to figure out was how to leverage on these to overcome the new challenges that I faced, and what new things I must learn in order to deliver the expected outcomes.
In 1 Samuel 16:1-13, we read the account of how King David was chosen by God through the prophet Samuel to be the next king of Israel. Scholars believe that David was just a teenager when he was chosen. It took probably about 15 years before David took the throne and became king.
“So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on…” (1 Samuel 16:13, NLT)
I imagine that if I were David, how would I have felt or reacted? What would I do? Would I be expecting to be ushered to the palace and begin to reign? Or would I be fearful because now the entire nation of Israel will be looking to me for directions, and more importantly for protection? It can be overwhelming.
David, who was known as “the man after God’s heart” (Acts 13:22), must have had frequent conversations with God who appointed him to be king over Israel. There is evidence that his past experiences, knowledge and competencies, formed the building blocks for him. For example, how his experiences in protecting his father’s sheep from the lion and bear enabled him to take on the Philistine giant, Goliath. So David was not only a fighter, but he fought to protect his father’s sheep, similar to how God has fought to protect His people through history. David took good care of what was entrusted to him. But the real secret to his success was his intimate relationship with God, because he was willing to submit himself to God’s ways instead of the world’s ways. There were two separate occasions (1 Samuel 24:3-7, 1 Samuel 26:7-11) where he had the chance to kill Saul and take over the throne, but he didn’t because he honoured God and trusted God’s timing.
The real secret to David’s success was his intimate relationship with God, because he was willing to submit himself to God’s ways instead of the world’s ways.
What has God called you to do, or what has God entrusted to you? It could be a new business venture, your career, an area of serving in church, or being a parent to a newborn child. Do you feel lost or unprepared? May I suggest that you begin with a conversation with God who has appointed you (even in your career where you may feel that your boss is the one who has appointed you). Have the conversation with God regularly, so that He can give you new perspectives, and lead you and guide you, like how God led and guided David, from a teenager to being a king eventually. As you prioritise your conversation with God over just getting things done, as you submit yourself to Godly wisdom instead of worldly wisdom, God will surely see to it that you “deliver” remarkably, for He has all along been preparing you.
Have conversations with God regularly, so that He can give you new perspectives, and lead you and guide you…