Part 4

Hello ,

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. 

1 Samuel 16:13

There’s a kind of waiting that comes before you know your purpose… and then there’s the kind that comes after.

David was anointed king—and then sent back to the field.

No crown. 

No throne. 

No visible change in position. 

Just sheep… and time.

That kind of waiting can be disorienting. 

Because now you know. 

You’ve seen it. 

You’ve felt the weight of what could be. But your life doesn’t reflect it yet. 

And the tension isn’t in the unknown—it’s in the gap between what’s been spoken… and what’s actually happening.

A young professional once received a job offer from a company he had dreamed of working for. The position was his—but the start date was months away. In the meantime, he went back to his current routine. Same desk. Same responsibilities. Nothing externally had changed. But internally, everything had. He knew where he was going… even though he wasn’t there yet.

That’s where David lived.

He carried the calling… without the platform.

And what he did in that space mattered.

Because waiting after calling is where character is formed without recognition. No audience. No affirmation. Just consistency in the unseen places. Learning to lead when no one is watching. Learning to stay grounded when nothing around you validates what you know inside.

Many people think that once God calls you, things should accelerate. But Scripture shows the opposite more often than not. Calling often comes early… and placement comes later.

Why? Because what you step into has to be matched by who you’ve become.

David didn’t go from the anointing straight to the throne. He went through obscurity. Through responsibility. Through moments that didn’t look like progress at all. But they were forming the very stability he would need later.

Waiting on the Lord, in this season, isn’t about finding your purpose. It’s about becoming steady enough to carry it.

Because if your identity gets ahead of your structure… what you step into can collapse under the weight of who you’re not yet.

David shows us that waiting is not a detour from your calling. It is the preparation that makes it sustainable.

He was chosen early.

But he was placed when he was ready.

Musical Reflection: Be Still My Soul

Have a great day and God bless!

Pastor Mike / The Open Word