Designed for Destiny

Many years ago when I was a single Christian and my looks were an accurate reflection of how young I was at heart, I can remember rolling out of bed on many-a-morning and grumbling about my job. Since I lived alone, I grumbled at God. I didn’t like my job because it was boring to me and I couldn’t see how it related to the vocation toward which I was working - outside of paying the bills. What I failed to realize back then was the value of wisdom. Not that I don’t have plenty more to gain, but knowledge learned in school can not replace the wisdom of experience. God will use our vocation to shape and mold us for the destiny that He has for us. That shaping and molding will include our character, skills, confidence and more. Looking back, I can see that much of where I’ve walked and what I’ve been through has brought me closer to being the person that He created me to be, doing what He’s called me to do today.

Finding Meaning in the Mundane

While I’ve had some pretty boring jobs in my life, I can’t imagine that young David’s job tending sheep was a job that anyone would describe as a "dream job". Unless it was in the context of a nightmare. Nevertheless, as I began seeking God about how I could be a blessing to Him and His people, He showed me that one of Israel’s Kings started out with a very mundane job. Perhaps the only real perk to David’s job as a shepherd was the fact that he got to work on his harp-playing skills without being hassled by his older brothers – they were all preoccupied with Israel’s war on terror against the Philistines. And I have to wonder if the occasional excitement of the threat of a lion or bear was a somewhat welcome break in the daily grind and routine.

I’m sure that David never would have imagined that these two "skills", were the very things that were going to get him promoted to a palace position (1 Samuel 16:16-19, 1 Samuel 17:34-37). Just one step in God’s ultimate plan to design David’s destiny as King over Israel.

The other things that got David promoted were his character and attitude. The servant in 1 Samuel 16:18 said that David was, "…a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person; and the Lord is with him."

If we were to put that in 21st century vernacular, we could say that someone like David has morals, is a confident, capable leader, has excellent communication and problem solving skills, is very professional, and is a Christian. Though David was only a shepherd, he had an incredible reputation! And his willingness to tolerate the mundane put him in a position to receive God’s blessings. Now I realize that this all sounds a whole lot easier than it is. And I don’t know about you, but there have been days, many days, when I’ve had to ask God to give me strength for today and hope for tomorrow. Sometimes I’ve even asked several times a day. But that’s okay. By the way, David did that too. And Psalms 27:1, 46:1, and 119:114 are only three of many examples.

Discovering Your Destiny

Besides seeking God for strength and hope rather regularly, another thing that really makes a difference is asking God to reveal how the gifts that He has put into us relate to His plan for our life. God has put gifts in all of us (Ephesians 4:8). And He has a plan (or future) for all of us (Jeremiah 29:11). No matter who we are.

Though Solomon was a son of David and Bathsheba, a couple who’s relationship was rooted in adultery, Solomon is the one whom God chose to build His temple (1 Chronicles 28:5-10). Nothing disqualifies a person with a right heart. And that is something that Solomon definitely had. When he could have asked God for anything his heart desired, (1 Kings 3:5) he chose the godly attributes of "…a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?" (1 Kings 3:9) Talk about character! All he requested was that God would make him a godly leader. He just wanted to do God’s will. And it was a short time after that request that God revealed to Solomon the awesome plan for which he was chosen; confirming it through David. God revealed the architecture of the temple to David, and then used Solomon to carry out the physical building process. The gifts of these two men complimented one another for the building of God’s house.

Some of us have a sense of our gifts and we just step right into them. God even seems to confirm through others, time and again, that we’re doing what He wants us to do. Others of us are less certain. Perhaps even less confident. But just as God equipped Solomon and confirmed his destiny, God will equip any of us who are desiring to serve Him and be a blessing to others. One book that I have found which is a wonderful guide to discovering our spiritual gifts is called, Discovering Your Spiritual Gifts. The author’s name is C. Peter Wagner. The book includes a spiritual gifts test which is a bit lengthy, but it’s worth the investment of time required. In taking the above test, I discovered that God had put gifts in me that I didn’t even know were there.

Contributing Your Legacy

It was originally David’s desire to build God’s temple. And that desire really surfaced for David when Israel finally had peace from her enemies. Something for which David and all of Israel were very grateful. So David wanted to express to God his love and gratitude in a tangible way (2 Samuel 7:1-2).

It’s not necessary for us to construct a building to house God’s presence as it would have been in David’s day. Today, God’s presence lives in us because of the shed blood of Jesus. We are His building (1 Corinthians 6:19). So we might choose to express our love and gratitude to Him in other ways such as joining the church music program, teaching children’s Sunday School, doing church administrative tasks, being an usher, helping to clean the church, or filling some other need to which we sense God may have chosen us. Something I’ve discovered over the years is that where there’s an interest, there’s frequently a gifting. And there’s no joy like the joy of stepping into that thing that God has gifted you to do. In addition, when we ask Him to lead us and we step where He prompts us, we’ll be an encouraging example to others. Especially our newer siblings in the Lord who are seeking Him about the destiny that He’s designed for them.