There are many of us who know the story of David. And we remember a few select stories:
David was a shepherd boy.
David was anointed by Samuel
David played music for King Saul.
But few of us remember that David was not the favored son of Jesse.
Jesse lined up his sons to greet and receive a blessings from Samuel and David was not even in the lineup.
16 The Lord said to Samuel, ...... Fill your horn with oil and be on your way;
I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem.
I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”
Jesse lined up the boys and Samuel sought out the one that had favor with the Lord.
6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.”
7 But the Lord said to Samuel,
“Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.
8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel.
But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.”
9 Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, “Nor has the Lord chosen this one.”
10 Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The Lord has not chosen these.” 11 So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?”
“There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.”
Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.”
12 So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features.
Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.”
13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David.
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It's a bit of a paradox for us to understand. We can make our own list of who would be the perfect fit or choice
God chose David the most unlikely of the sons of Jesse to become King. Who we think would be unqualified or not of interest to God may be the person that he chooses.
David became great and later became King despite the doubts or low expectations that people had had for him.
Unemployment can hit you hard. You can begin to doubt yourself and whether you are even part of the family anymore. You find yourself alone and out in the fields with the sheep instead of in the house and at the big party with the rest of the guys. Your life may be ruined and that you are somehow disqualified from a future.
This was not true for David and it is not necessarily true for you.
God did not see David the way others around him saw him.
Please don't give up on yourself. God may want and need you to save the Kingdom.
Lord
Help me not to focus on the outer appearance but on the heart.
Help me see myself and others the way that God sees them.
Amen
David felt the ground shake as Goliath fell with a thud. The battle with Goliath had been going on for days. The faceoff pitted both armies against each other, but no resolution had been reached. The insults and jeers from the Philistines had been hurled at Israel for too long without an answer.
And then young David stepped up and responded. The result was unexpected. It was an act of desperation to send out a young kid into battle. Few could have anticipated the results:
Read about the story in 1 Samuel 17
48 As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. 49 Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground.
50 So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.
David had stepped up when others had not. He had made an indelible success for the Kingdom as well as for himself.
Can you imagine how the celebrations in the days that came after?
1 Samuel 18
6 When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with timbrels and lyres. 7 As they danced, they sang:
“Saul has slain his thousands,
and David his tens of thousands.”
….
30 The Philistine commanders continued to go out to battle, and as often as they did, David met with more success than the rest of Saul’s officers, and his name became well known.
David fully enjoyed the satisfaction and celebration of his success. When we are finding success, it is easy to see God’s hand upon us. But what do we do when we lose our success? Does this mean that God has left us? That is a tension that an unemployed person must resolve.
Often when we think of David that we also think of the verses in Psalm 23.
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,[a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
This same David who we know had many successes, also felt the Lord with him during his challenges as well. He became assured that the Lord was with him even in the darkest of times. I pray that you will find God in these moments of unemployment.
It may be even in the time of unemployment; we will find an opportunity and time to become closer to God than we have ever been. It would be a shame to miss the opportunity.
I can imagine it would be hard to miss on David’s resume the encounter that he had with Goliath. I would encourage you to make a list of all your awards, accomplishments, and your successes. Think back on what your successes have been.
Give yourself a clap, a pat on the back, why not a standing ovation. And now put it aside.
Many job seekers find despite concrete demonstrable successes that they must move on from their successes. The greater success the harder it is to see yourself no longer associated with the success. You have too much life left to ride out on past success alone.
Lord,
As I face uncertain days due to our unemployment, I pray that I will remember that you are with me no matter how dark my valleys.
Please remind me of your goodness and love that will follow me all the days of my life
Amen.
David found himself standing alone. The fight with the Philistines was over sooner than anyone watching would have anticipated.
For many, that is how they suddenly find themselves in unemployment. One minute everything seems normal and then in the next moment a routine life is turned on its head.
· Some lose their job because the company ended.
· Some lose due to a disruption in their company.
· Some lose their job because their job has been eliminated.
· Some leave because of their misconduct or poor decisions
· Some lose their job because of their performance.
· Some leave because the stress was too much.
Regardless, the sudden need for a new job is suddenly upon us. I can sense David not being ready to say the fight is over.
I picture him standing over Goliath and screaming Who’s Next? His Jeer is met by silence as the others run for their lives at the thought what had happened to their biggest and strongest could happen to them. No one volunteers to step into the battle and the fight is over.
There are no more Goliaths to fight.
Although David may have been offered a chance at a victory lap, most that find themselves unemployed do not have that.
The loss feels like a punch that knocks your breath away. The request to turn in your badge and keys and company credit card makes it even more real. You turn over your business cards, and phone and phone number much sooner than you had thought. Someone returns with a box from your desk and they show you the door. Others gather their things for themselves from their desk while a supervisor or security guard watches over them.
The Human Resources protocol does not seem to matter in the end. Suddenly you are asked to turn in your armor, and you are shown the door.
And when we find ourselves alone, we may begin to cry inside. It may be in the car, the drive away, or sitting in the driveway unable to pull yourself out of your seat and walk in the house. Sometimes our cries are out loud and sometimes silent, but the sentiment is common to us all. And inevitably when we cry out to God it seems to be the most natural thing whether we had been a habit in seeking God’s attention.
David in the Psalms utters the words that many of us may not be able to find or have a hard time to express:
Psalms 18:6
In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.
Psalms 69: 13-18
"13 But I pray to you, O LORD,
in the time of your favor;
in your great love, O God,
answer me with your sure salvation.
14 Rescue me from the mire,
do not let me sink;
deliver me from those who hate me,
from the deep waters.
15 Do not let the floodwaters engulf me
or the depths swallow me up
or the pit close its mouth over me.
16 Answer me, O LORD, out of the goodness of your love;
in your great mercy turn to me.
17 Do not hide your face from your servant;
answer me quickly, for I am in trouble.
18 Come near and rescue me;
redeem me because of my foes."
This may be a unique time in our plea to him, but God has been in the business of hearing our cries for much longer than we can know. I believe God will answer each of us when we honestly cry out to him. However, his answer shows that he cares more about us than just getting us another job. Some see crying out as a sign of weakness, but I feel we should claim it as a victory in its own way.
A stretch out to the Creator should not be foreign to us or anything that we have to apologize for.
Reaching out for help is one of the victories that we need to claim on our journey. It is helpful to us if we find that victory sooner than later. Our life may depend upon it more than we know.
There are moments that we seem to replay over in our mind in a slow-motion fashion over and over. Losing a job is one of those moments. If you have kept it bottled up inside, I would encourage you to share as much as you can about your loss of employment and the specifics of what happened and how you felt.
- Consider writing it down. We may not be as eloquent as David and be able to put into words our cry for help.
- Consider sharing with a friend or family.
- Consider how you will share about your loss of employment with someone who doesn’t know you.
I know for some I have walked with, the loss of a job still stirs pain and grief in them months and years after the event.
Our lives will be different after the loss of employment. Yet we need to move on. We need a victory if we are going to be able to get back on our feet.
- Sharing how our cries were heard may be a victory.
- Sharing how you were helped may be a victory.
- Sharing how you were able to admit a problem or mistake or fault and found a way to address it differently may be a victory.
Be honest with yourself and others about what happened, how you handled it at the time, and how you learned from it.
It will come up in the future on a job application or in an interview. They are more interested in your story of victory than they are in your pain or loss.
A Prayer
Lord,
Let me remember that you have invited us to pray to you.
Help me be honest in my time of need and pain.
Let me real and genuine with you about my need for you.
Lord please answer me and give me peace in this time and these circumstances.
Amen
I don’t tell this story often, but once I almost died. Well, I know that was a bit abrupt. One evening my stomach hurt as I went to bed when I was a young child. But I decided to tough it out and so I endured the night.
It still hurt in the morning so I asked my parents to write a note so that I could skip gym. Then in school, it just became overbearing and they called my dad and he took me to the doctor’s office. I can remember the doctor’s diagnosis that something was wrong with my appendix and I would need to have something done about that. I was prepared to respond that I had some availability next week, but wanting to be too arrogant, I asked him when. He said Right Now. We need to take you across the street to the hospital right now.
A nurse took me in and took my blood and the fog rolled in that I was going to go under the knife and I passed out.
I cannot say I thought too clearly until I woke up several hours later in a hospital room with a bandage and stiches in my abdomen.
I was hooked up to all kinds of tubes and wires and it just seemed much more complicated than it should be.
So the reality was that my appendix not only wanted to come out but it also had burst and that was driving my pain. The delay in responding to my pain had not been the wisest of choices. It would have been an easier recovery if I had responded sooner.
Of course, as it is when one thing goes wrong, it seems like it doesn’t stop coming. In my case, even though the appendix was out and probably in a jar somewhere, my newest battle was between my body’s defenses and a Gangrene infection.
Obviously, I recovered, or I would not be writing this many years later.
I share that story not because of my toughness but how it was in my weaknesses calling out for help that made the difference in keeping me alive and letting a Healer do what I could not do for myself.
1 SAMUEL 17
32 David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.”
33 Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him;
you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.”
37 The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”
Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”
38 Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. 39 David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them.
“I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.
There were many who wanted to give David advice on the weapon that he should choose to face Goliath. David could have used what some thought were the best armor and weapons in the Kingdom. Instead He used what he had the most confidence in. He remembered back to the success he had had in the past.
34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep.
When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth.
When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. 3
6 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear;
this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God.
37 The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”
Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”
As we start on our job search, we will often get advice, some solicited and some not about the skills that we need for success.
There will be many who will try to create a story about themselves based on what they think others are looking for or to fake having whatever the latest trend is in skills and capabilities.
We may feel the need for new skills and to re-invent ourselves. But our confidence and success often depends upon us finding our most authentic self.
Often the skills that we have mastered in the past will be what separates us from others and sets us for future success.
Lord
Help me be aware of of my most authentic self instead of trying to be who I believe others want me to be.
Help me recognize the skills and my past successes as I seek new opportunity.
Amen
Playing football isn't what it used to be. I remember playing for a really small school when I played in Junior High. Some of us were asked to play both on the offensive side of the line as well as the defensive side.
My role could quickly change from one side trying to catch the ball as a wide out, to trying to know the ball away so it couldn't be caught as a cornerback.
I can't help but reflect on how those around David were more concerned that he protect himself so he doesn't get hurt rather than focusing on what he needed to do to conquer Goliath.
Whether or not its your personality, you have to go on the offensive to get a job. You need to find extra energy, with an extra portion of initiative and determination. You can't sit on the sidelines and wait for better timing and hope that it will magically sort itself out.
Don't be shy in telling them you want the job and show that you mean it!
The scriptures say that David had picked up five stones.
1 SAMUEL 17
40 Then he took his staff in his hand,
chose five smooth stones from the stream,
put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and,
with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.
Surprisingly, it only took only one to fell Goliath.
That likely means that David although he had vanquished Goliath was standing there with four more stones in his hand.
Whether or not one thinks of a slingshot as a precision instrument, no one would disregard the importance of the stones or what is being hurled with the force of the slingshot.
I find it fascinating that David had not brought his own stones to the battle with Goliath.
He did not rely on the carefully chosen and curated selection of stones that he had brought with him from his home.
He had not gone to the local stone store and say give me five stones that will fit in my slingshot and take down a giant. He needed the extra-large giant size.
The power for David was not that he had brought along some magic stones. Somewhere along the way, David had learned courage. He had certainly used courage what he was protecting his sheep.
He would need an even bigger dose of Courage this day as he approached Goliath.
I have to admit that my mind is stuck on what happened to the other stones that David had picked up.
Just as it took Courage for David to pick up the stones, I think it also took Courage for him to let go of the four additional stones that he had picked up. I have no idea where they ended up. My guess is that they got tossed to the side.
It doesn’t seem like it was hard for David because there was no serious contemplation that we know of in the scripture. He was convinced that he did not need to carry them around. He was able to let them go. That too is a statement of Courage. That we do not need to hold on to the stones that we had from previous battles. When the time comes, we will find the stones or they will find us.
Reference Psalms 27 where David declared his trust in the Lord.
Psalm 27
1 Of David.
Adonai is my light and my salvation:
whom should I fear?
Adonai is the stronghold of my life:
whom should I dread?
2 When evildoers approached me to devour my flesh
—my adversaries and my foes—they stumbled and fell.
3 Though an army camp besieges me, my heart will not fear.
Though war breaks out against me, even then will I be confident.
4 One thing have I asked of Adonai,
that will I seek:
to dwell in the House of Adonai
all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of Adonai,
and to meditate in His Temple.
5 For in the day of trouble He will hide me in His sukkah,
conceal me in the shelter of His tent,
and set me high upon a rock.
6 Then will my head be high above my enemies around me.
In His Tabernacle I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy.
I will sing, yes, sing praises to Adonai.
7 Hear, Adonai, when I call with my voice,
be gracious to me and answer me.
8 To You my heart says: “Seek My face.”
Your face, Adonai, I seek.
9 Do not hide Your face from me.
Do not turn Your servant away in anger.
You have been my help.
Do not abandon me or forsake me,
O God my salvation.
10 Though my father and my mother
forsake me, Adonai will take me in.
11 Teach me Your way, Adonai,
and lead me on a level path—
because of my enemies.
12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes.
For false witnesses rise up against me,
breathing out violence.
13 Surely I trust that I will see the goodness
of Adonai in the land of the living.
14 Wait for Adonai.
Be strong, let Your heart take courage,
and wait for Adonai.
I remember as a kid whether out in the park or the lake or on the trail finding stones along the way.
Some I picked up had rough edges and some were too big or too small.
I remember some though that were perfect for me. They were smooth, they fit in my fingers just right.
Those are stones I put in my pocket as opposed to kicking out of my path.
Sometimes we would toss the stones across a pond and see how many times they would bounce.
Sometimes the stone would be so perfect that we would skip it four or five times or more.
those are the time we almost wanted to go back and recover the stones.
As we seek new employment, we often must find the confidence and courage to do something beyond what we have done before. We have to have faith that we will be able to find a new job that may or may not be similar to what we have done before.
For some in today’s uncertain times, it will take an extra dose of courage to find a new job. It may not be as easy as finding another company that needs your exact skill set and to do exactly what you were doing before.
This is often a battle for the unemployed, we want to carry around all of the things that we had in the past when we were successful.
We hope that they will give us the comfort that we will be fully prepared for what lies ahead. But they may be weighing us down and we do not even realize it.
We also need to fight our uncomfortableness of the future by building up our courage rather than holding our stones.
But how can we truly have any kind of courage that we will be able to face an uncertain future.
For David, that courage came from something other than his own confidence and comfortableness. It came from his trust not just in himself but in his trust in the Lord.
This courage that David had to defeat the Giant was not in the slingshots or stones but in the Lord.
Some of us need to let go of the stones that we don’t need and find our courage from the Lord and not just the next job that we are seeking.
Lord,
I pray that you will give me confidence and courage for what lies ahead.
I know that I want to hold on to what has worked in the past and hope that will get me through.
Let me find my courage in you.
Amen