All Things Are Possible, Even For A Nobody

It takes a long time to become an overnight success. Because we rarely see the preparation and sacrifice that people go through, it can be easy to think that success just happens. Top athletes know that in order to win, they must continually hone their skills. They have to develop the mental and physical stamina needed in order to endure the hours of training and overcome the discouragement and challenges they’ll face along the way. It’s no different in any pursuit we might choose.

At times we might assume that success is a matter of luck. We might say, "He was just in the right place at the right time." Looking at the Old Testament story of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17, we could think it was like that for David. Personally, I’m not sure there’s anything "right" about the place or timing when you’re facing a giant who wants to kill you. But for us, just like it was for David, it’s not just about being in the right place at the right time; we also have to be the right person in that place and time.

When we first meet David, Samuel the prophet has been sent to David’s hometown of Bethlehem and to David’s father Jesse. God told Samuel that he was to anoint one of Jesse’s sons as the next king of Israel. Because he was worried that King Saul would kill him, Samuel pretended to be in town for a sacrifice and told Jesse that he and all his sons were invited to join him.

When Samuel met Jesse’s sons, he saw the oldest son and said to himself, "Surely, the Lord’s anointed is before Him!" (1 Sam. 16:6). But God spoke to Samuel and told him, "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart" (1 Sam. 16:7).

And so it went for all seven of Jesse’s sons who were at the sacrifice. Samuel was a little confused when God didn’t choose any of them, so he asked Jesse if he had any other sons. Then Jesse said something like, "Oh yeah...I do have one more, the youngest. But he’s out taking care of the sheep."

I find it interesting that David wasn’t with his brothers at the sacrifice. Did they forget to tell David about the invitation? Was he such a good shepherd that his father didn’t feel comfortable leaving the sheep with anyone else? Did David get the invitation but ask to be excused because he was too busy with the herd? Or was it because he was the youngest and least important of Jesse’s sons? We really don’t know.

When David finally joined them, we find out that he was just a young man who probably wasn’t old enough, and definitely wasn’t big and strong enough, to even be in the army, let alone to command it. He certainly wasn’t the person anyone would have chosen to be king. He didn’t have the knowledge or experience and he definitely didn’t know the right people. And as the youngest in his family, he didn’t have the position, money, or influence to do much of anything. Basically, David was a nobody.

Like David, each one of us starts out as a nobody. We have no fame, no fortune, and as far as other people can tell, no future. But no matter what other people may think, we know that our lives can be different. We have to realize, as David did, that it doesn’t matter where we start, as long as we get started.

For David it seemed like a single event, his victory over Goliath was what changed his life. But like the athlete who prepares in solitude, David had actually been preparing for a long time. He had faithfully used the circumstances that God brought into his life, he had taken advantage of every opportunity to hone his skills and learn to trust God all while working as a lowly shepherd taking care of his father’s sheep.

There may be times when we look at our current circumstances and think that there isn’t much we can do. We assume that the things we want and that God wants for our lives are just too hard to achieve where we are right now. We feel that the right opportunity won’t come our way because we lack all the "important" stuff like knowledge, skills, connections, influence and money. But one thing that we learn from David’s life is that those aren’t the most important things, because with God, all things are possible.