1 Samuel 16:11-12
And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither.  And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he.

David was rejected by men, but chosen by God.  How often does God use the least, the lowest, the smallest, the youngest, the ones that no one else would choose?  Not even David’s father thought him worthy of attending this sacrifice.  Samuel didn’t even know he existed.  But God knew where he was.  God knew his heart.  God knew that he wanted David to be the king.

It is not our position in our family that matters.  It is not how much we are accepted or approved by others.  What matters is what God thinks of us and what He will do with our lives.  He sees us when we are faithfully on the hillside keeping the sheep.  God knows us when we’re the youngest and not the strongest or the biggest.  He knows us before we become the giant-slayer or the warrior that we will eventually become.  And when no one else recognizes our potential, God knows what He made us to be and what He has prepared us for.

What was so special about David were those qualities of him that no one else could see on the surface.  What mattered most to God when choosing David for this important role was not that he looked the part or could accomplish great things in his own power.  What enabled David to go from shepherd to king was a heart of faith and love for God, a dedication to his Master, a willingness to follow, to trust, and to spend time delving into the heart of his Lord.

When God looks at us, He sees so much more than others see when they look at us and so much more than we can see in ourselves.  But He has chosen us all for a task.  He has called us out of that field and set us on a new path.  Outwardly, it may seem like we’re unqualified.  Others may doubt and scoff.  But what’s in our hearts?  Is it humility and willingness to be used?  Is it a heart surrendered to God’s will for us no matter where it may take us?  When God decides we are the ones He wants for the task, will we rise up and go forth into it?