Thursday, January 29, 2009

Overlooked

11They found an Egyptian in the open country and brought him to David. And they gave him bread and he ate. They gave him water to drink, 12and they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. And when he had eaten, his spirit revived, for he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights. 13And David said to him, "To whom do you belong? And where are you from?" He said, "I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite, and my master left me behind because I fell sick three days ago. 14We had made a raid against the Negeb of the Cherethites and against that which belongs to Judah and against the Negeb of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag with fire." 15And David said to him, "Will you take me down to this band?" And he said, "Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will take you down to this band." 1 Samuel 30:11-15

Did you miss it?

Maybe you didn't even know you missed it. We have a tendency to go through life focused on the big things, the major things
in life and often we miss it.

Over the last few years I'm learning how God works in the small, the mustard seed, the yeast, etc. But, we are so focused on the big we overlook the small.

Ok, so what does that have to do with this passage…everything.

Think about it, David and his 600 are probably emotionally spent at the loss of their homes and families; they are physically exhausted because they are so focused chasing after their attackers that 200 can't go anymore.

How easy would be to overlook that one lone, homeless, hungry boy?

"We don't have time, our families are at stake? We must be about God's will, he told us to pursue them!"

They didn't miss the small, the seemingly insignificant. They also offered compassion and gave him food and water that he so desperately needed.

It was in the small that David finds the specifics and God's provision. In the big, he only knew a general direction in which to go after the Amalekites, but in the small he was able to focus and pursue God's will.

My calling is to plant seeds that future generations will harvest, that's the big general direction, but it actually happens daily in the small, private, seemingly insignificant conversations that I have daily with the people God brings into my life.

Look for the little, seemingly insignificant things today, who knows, you might find God in them!

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