1 Samuel 17:34-37 “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, 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. 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. 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.”

David knew the secret of depending on God’s power was to do his work and protect his sheep. Human strength was not sufficient for the lion or the bear. This was simply graduated training for what was to come for David!

Principle: God uses difficult circumstances to prepare us for greater things.

Winston Churchill said, “Character may be manifested in the great moments, but it is made in the small ones.” In David’s case, it went from tending sheep, to protecting them from predators, to becoming a giant killer.

God allows challenging business-life experiences to come to us that will take our ordinary lives and stretch our faith to build character and prepare us for greater events in the future.

Let that process be filled with expectancy and joy.

Discussion:

1. What difficult circumstances are you facing today?

2. How might God be using these challenges to strengthen you for a bigger challenge in the future?

3. Character-building is a life-long process. Be patient with yourself, but also be willing to grow.