My Success

1st Samuel 18.14 NLT

“David continued to succeed in everything he did, for the Lord was with him.”

David rocketed to the highest limits of political power in Israel about a thousand years before Christ. What was his secret? How did he achieve so much with so little? It was the Lord. God was the secret of David’s rise to super-stardom. He was successful because “the LORD was with him.”

David had little to do with his own success. Check his resume...

The prophet Samuel anointed David as king to replace Saul (1st Samuel 16.12-13).

King Saul chose David to be his personal musician (1st Samuel 16.19).

The Philistine giant Goliath fell before this boy with a slingshot (1st Samuel 17.49).

David’s military victories were too numerous to count (1st Samuel 18.5, 7).

The children of Saul, Jonathan and Michal, loved David (1st Samuel 18.1, 20).

The entire nation, both the tribes of Israel and Judah, followed David (1st Samuel 18.16).

David’s success appears random, not of his own doing. It was God-ordained. The Lord was with him. God was the secret of his success and the reason for the prosperity he enjoyed.

My personal success is not up to me. It’s God’s call. I can make myself available and endeavor to obey the Lord. I can show courage and muster faith when necessary. I can be energetic, creative, and imaginative. I can act with integrity, work hard, and put my trust in Jesus. But that’s about all I can do. The rest of my life appears random, but it’s not... God is in control. 

I cannot guarantee an income, secure a position, or make someone love me. I am unable to fully plan my future or absolutely insure the safety of my family. Nothing I do comes with the promise of success. 

I will do my best, but try to remain aware of this little factoid: Life is wrought with risk, and failure is always a possibility. I can do is my small part, but success is solely in the hands of the Lord.