Pastor’s Pen: Seen by God, Sent with Grace

Reflections from 1 Samuel 16

Dear Church Family,

This past Sunday, we turned to a pivotal chapter in redemptive history: the anointing of David, the shepherd-boy whom no one expected, but whom God had chosen.

It’s a familiar story, but one that still cuts against the grain of how we tend to see and value things. Samuel is sent to anoint a king. He sees Eliab—tall, strong, impressive. Surely this is the one! But God gently corrects him: “The Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (v.7).

That one verse has enough weight to reshape how we parent, how we disciple, how we lead, and how we view ourselves. God is not after polish. He is after character. Not appearances, but substance. Not the man everyone else expects, but the one He has formed in secret.

The Kind of King God Chooses

David is not even invited to the meeting. His father doesn’t see him as king-material. He’s young. Small. Unimportant. But God sees differently. And so the shepherd is anointed. The overlooked one is chosen. The one in the field is brought into the center of God’s purposes.

This is how the Lord works, again and again. He calls Moses from the wilderness. He calls Gideon from the winepress. He calls Mary from Nazareth. He calls fishermen and tax collectors and women no one else noticed. And He still does.

Perhaps this season of your life feels obscure or overlooked. Take heart: obscurity does not mean insignificance. God often does His deepest forming in the hidden places, long before others take notice.

Sent Not to Dominate, But to Serve

The Spirit of the Lord rushes upon David in verse 13, but what happens next? He isn’t sent to the throne. He’s sent to the throne room, not to rule, but to serve a tormented king. The anointed one becomes a humble musician, a calming presence, a patient minister in a dark place.

It’s easy to equate calling with visibility, or Spirit-empowerment with platform. But in God’s kingdom, the anointed are often sent to serve quietly, faithfully, in hard places. The Spirit doesn’t just empower bold preaching or courageous leadership, it equips us for quiet presence, long-suffering patience, and healing ministry. Our church is awash with people serving in these quiet ways, we don’t often hear of it, but I rejoice every time word of something like this gets back to me.

In this, David points us forward to Jesus, the greater Shepherd-King, who came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.

So what do we take away?

• God is not done working when things fall apart. He still sends, still calls, still leads forward.
• What the world overlooks, God sees. And He uses those formed in secret.
• God’s Spirit equips us not just for public success, but for faithful presence wherever we are sent.

Whether you are serving at home, in a hospital room, in a workplace, or in the quiet trenches of discipleship, know this: you are seen. And you are sent. And God is still raising up shepherds after His own heart to serve His people, in all kinds of places.

May we be a church that sees how God sees, and goes where He sends.

In Christ our Shepherd,

Pastor Tyrell