As I read through the Old Testament this year, today’s reading brought me to 1 Samuel 16-18. It is unmistakable, God intentionally led David into a career move of great difficulty in order to reveal His glory. This is good to ponder for those currently encountering hardship working for a boss or co-workers, or others, who oppose you. God told Samuel to go anoint the man who would replace Saul as King. In 1 Samuel 16:2 Samuel said, “How can I go? When Saul hears of it, he will kill me.” Everyone knew the one anointed and the prophet doing the anointing would bear the mark of death as Saul’s arch enemy when he found out about it. So Samuel made a plan to anoint the new king in secret. But the text makes it look as if immediately after the secret ceremony ended, David is put into a very uncomfortable position of being made a personal servant to the often insane, filled with jealous rage, King Saul. David’s boss would love him like a son one day and another day despise him and attempt to murder him. Just in case you are in a career scenario where you are facing insurmountable opposition, don’t think you are there because God is neglecting you. He has led you to the exact spot you are in and will provide and protect you. But he will do much more than that. God gave David the faith to serve the insanely jealous King, loyally, so that God’s glory would be put on display. God will do the same in you. A good follow up to this is to go read Psalm 62, meditate on it and pray it as your own supplication with God so that you are helped to trust in God in your current hardship.
