Called from the Shadows

The quiet, behind-the-scenes seasons of life can be the strongest spiritual preparations—let this shepherd boy remind you of that!

THIS WEEK’S BOLD STEP DEVOTION

“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)

I can still remember the first time I felt a tug toward ministry. I didn’t start off wanting to be a pastor, but God began stirring my heart during a summer I spent in France as a teenager, washing dishes at a restaurant. During my breaks, I’d go outside with my copy of A. W. Tozer’s The Pursuit of God, and in those moments, a deeper understanding awakened in me that God had a purpose for my life.

This calling reminds me of David in 1 Samuel 16 when the prophet Samuel was sent to anoint the next king of Israel. Everyone expected someone tall, impressive, and kingly, but God said, “The LORD does not look at the things people look at . . . the LORD looks at the heart” (v. 7). It still intrigues me that David wasn’t even in the room when Samuel came to visit his family’s home that day! Instead, he was out in the fields, doing a humble, overlooked job of tending the sheep. Yet God saw him.

After being anointed, David didn’t go right into the palace. He actually went back to tending sheep—but that’s where the real formation happened. In the shadows, he protected the flock, wrote psalms, and learned to trust God alone, even when wild animals attacked him. He even played music to soothe King Saul (1 Samuel 16:23), quietly developing the spiritual authority he would need one day. Maybe you’re in one of those kinds of seasons now. It feels small. Hidden. But God often shapes His greatest leaders in the shadows. What might seem insignificant is often sacred preparation.

Then came David’s moment when he stepped onto the battlefield to face Goliath. His own brother, Eliab, questioned his motives, and even seasoned soldiers doubted him, but David had been with God in the quiet places. David recounted to King Saul what humble shepherding had taught him, saying, “The LORD who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine” (1 Sam. 17:37). His courage came from trust and quiet preparation, not titles.

And that’s the challenge I want to leave with you: Be faithful in your now. Lean into what God is doing in you, even if no one else sees it yet. You don’t have to look the part to be called. You just have to say yes. The God who saw David in the fields sees you too. And He’s preparing you for something greater than you can imagine.

Prayer:
Lord, thank You for seeing beyond what others see—and for calling us even when we feel unseen or unqualified. Help me to be faithful in the small things, to trust You in the shadow seasons, and to be bold when You call me forward. Prepare my heart for all that You’ve prepared for me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Listen to the sermon: Fighting for Your God-Given Destiny

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Ministry Update from Mark

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