David just excites me. There is always something new to learn from him. In I Samuel 17, the Bible records his amazing victory over the Philistine champion and giant, Goliath.

What most people miss is, the biggest fight David won that day was not the fight against Goliath but the fight against his own. How many of us abandon a dream or passion because it makes our family, bosses, colleagues, lovers or friends uncomfortable?

Proverbs 29:25 (NLT) says “Fearing people is a dangerous trap but trusting the Lord means safety”.

Let’s look at the David and Goliath story again and see how many obstacles David had to cross in order to fight Goliath:

I Sam. 17: 28 says ‘But when David’s oldest brother, Eliab, heard David talking to the men, he was very angry. “What are you doing around here anyway?” he demanded. “What about those few sheep you’re supposed to be taking care of? I know about your pride and deceit. You just want to see the battle!”

Eliab was just a jealous brother. The prophet Samuel nearly anointed him as king but God obviously preferred David and he couldn’t handle it. He was so jealous, he couldn’t see the great opportunity that was before them. If David kills Goliath, no member of their family will ever pay tax again. Secondly, he will become son-in-law to the king. His chances of progressing in Saul’s army will shoot up. His father’s few sheep” won’t have to be so few after all. Eliab also knew David had been anointed as Israel’s next king and yet he makes no effort to win his heart. Are we amazed when we don’t hear of him in David’s ranks when he reaches the throne? It’s amazing how many people allow their own family to destroy them.

Second battle David had to win that day was King Saul. This is where most of us stop. We don’t want to appear ridiculous before our bosses so we shelve that great idea. David already had a job as Saul’s harper and that won him enough respect but deep down, he knew he could do more. How do we react when a vacancy is advertised in our jobs? Some people spend their time worrying about whether their bosses will think they are ungrateful or unhappy with their current positions whilst others just go for it. Just go for it. What is the worst that can happen? And even more importantly, “what is the best that can happen?”

The third hurdle that David had to cross was David. He was a ruddy young man, standing among some of the most experienced warriors in Israel’s history. Compared to some of them, he was just a harp playing, shepherd boy from a poor family that only owned a few sheep. He could have beaten himself with his own words and shrunk back into his shell. He didn’t do that.

We have to stop seeing ourselves by what the world defines us to be and start seeing ourselves in the light of who God says we are. Don't stop you. Don't let them stop you.

One of my favourite Bible characters is David. He is one I can relate to on so many levels. I think for our purposes, what most of us share in common with him are- HIS PAIN and HIS CREATIVITY.

The first time we hear of David in the Bible is in I Samuel 16. We are quickly informed that he is a shepherd boy, who spends his time in the bushes with the sheep. At first glance, it looks like a normal job for a young man till we quickly realize, he is in the bushes because he’s not wanted at home. His is a son who has been reduced to a servant. His father Jesse doesn’t count him among his sons… or if he does, was quite embarrassed to present him to the prophet Samuel. To put it simply, David was an abandoned young man, who received more love from his sheep than from his family. We are not surprised when we learn later that, David will fight and kill lions and bears to protect his sheep. His herd was all the family he really had in the world. We can conclude that David had pain. True but he focused on his talent and his job but never on his pain.

For the creatively endowed, those moments of pain and rejection can be your best friend if you put your mind to it. What better place to rehearse, discover and learn new moves if not where there is no one. If you play your harp to sheep, you can afford to make mistakes and not be embarrassed about it.

I remember the story of the two friends whose girl friends broke up with them at the same time. One jumped over a bridge to end it all. The other wrote about his love experiences and quickly became a bestselling author. What do you do with your pain?
One other thing we learn from the David story is, when God is on your side, the distance between the wilderness and the palace is actually very short. David never attempted lobbying anybody. He was just focusing on his sheep and his music. Yet in just one chapter, he gets secretly anointed to be Israel’s future king and also recommended to be King Saul’s harper.

I believe God has appointed people like Saul’s servant who recommended David and the Prophet Samuel all over the world to look out for his children. His only requirement is that we be so good at what we do that we won’t embarrass him when we stand before kings. Christians with mediocre skills are an embarrassment in every sphere of society; especially when they are rather loud about their faith.

Are you skilled enough to stand before kings or are you nagging, hurting and complaining instead of rehearsing. Focus on God. Focus on your job. Focus on your talent. DO NOT focus on your pain.