1 Samuel 16:14-18 – “But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the Lord troubled him. And Saul’s servants said to him, “Surely, a distressing spirit from God is troubling you. Let our master now command your servants, who are before you, to seek out a man who is a skillful player on the harp. And it shall be that he will play it with his hand when the distressing spirit from God is upon you, and you shall be well.” So Saul said to his servants, “Provide me now a man who can play well, and bring him to me.” Then one of the servants answered and said, “Look, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and the Lord is with him.””
There are two very important lessons in today’s reading. First, we see the power of music to drive away evil spirits and bring a calm upon the person being tormented. Praise and worship accomplishes much and should not be underestimated. It can change and atmosphere. It can subdue the enemy. It can uplift an individual. It certainly gives glory to God.
Second, the wisdom of preparation. David’s preparation made him a candidate for greatness. He had the following qualities before he was ever crowned king:
a) skillful musician;
b) man of valor;
c) man of war;
d) prudent in speech;
e) commanding presence;
f) anointed.
Where you are now is preparation for where God wants to take you. Make sure you are diligent in preparing yourself. Become qualified in numerous areas. You never know how God may want to use you. We downplay the importance of preparation. We want to move forwards and get the job done. The book of Acts reveals that Moses thought his brothers would recognize he was to be their leader and deliverer 40 years before he actually became their deliverer. Preparation is an important piece of our destiny and we should not do anything to short cut it. The more prepared we are, the more God can use us.