Grinding To Find Your Calling | 1 Samuel 17:12-18

Have you ever asked: "When will I find my calling?"

Welcome to the Daily Devo. I am Vince Miller.

This week, we are in 1 Samuel 17. I've titled this chapter "Battling Giants."

Yesterday, we got our first look at the battle scene and the giant Goliath. Today, we look to another scene a few miles from the battle. The home of David of Bethlehem. Let's read 12-18:

Now David was the son of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, named Jesse, who had eight sons. In the days of Saul the man was already old and advanced in years. The three oldest sons of Jesse had followed Saul to the battle. And the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. David was the youngest. The three eldest followed Saul, but David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem. For forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand, morning and evening. And Jesse said to David his son, "Take for your brothers an ephah of this parched grain, and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers. Also take these ten cheeses to the commander of their thousand. See if your brothers are well, and bring some token from them." — 1 Samuel 17:12-18

What stands out to me in this section is that David has numerous jobs. First, he is King Saul's musician. Second, he is the caretaker of his family farm and aging father. Third, he's a food service delivery boy for his brothers. Fourth, he's a messenger for his father. David is a grinder. He's busy with work to do.

There is an important message in this for all young men: Get a job—get more than one. Serve your elders. Work up the ranks. Perfect a craft. Do it with excellence. And here is why this is so important: You learn numerous valuable skills in service to others. But it's always in the grind that God reveals your calling. If you are trying to figure out your calling, that is how you do it. The same way David did. In the grind.

Backing up, we all know the outcome of this story: David finds his calling as a warrior for God on his way to becoming the King of Israel. But what we often miss is the grind on David's way there. There was the grind of serving an aging father as the youngest son. There was the grind of playing music for a bipolar spirit-possessed king. There was the grind of serving brothers who teased and ridiculed him. In the grind, God sharpened David for a job that only he could do until it presented itself.

This is how it works for us all. There is nothing glorious about the grind. But in the grind, God's glorious calling is revealed.

So, if you are trying to figure out your calling, ask God to reveal it. But don't sit around and wait and live in frustration. Get a job, work hard, and grind it out for the Lord. In the grind, God will reveal his calling. You will know it when the moment is upon you, for all the lessons you learned in the grind will be revealed in the calling.

#FindingYourCalling, #GrindForGod, #PurposeInTheProcess

Ask This:
How can you embrace the grind in your current season of life, trusting that God is preparing you for something greater?
In what ways can you serve others with excellence today, knowing that God may be using these moments to reveal your calling?
Do This:
Do the grind with excellence today.

Pray This:
Lord, help me to embrace the grind with a willing heart, trusting that You are shaping me for Your greater purpose. Guide me to serve others faithfully, knowing that in these moments, You are revealing Your calling for my life. Amen.

Play This:
Have It All.