Article for Ministers: Is It My Turn Yet?

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Haven’t you always wanted to be a part of a winning team?

Isn’t it time to let God use your life for His glory?

I Sam 17: 19 Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. 20 And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the trench, as the host was going forth to the fight, and shouted for the battle. 21 For Israel and the Philistines had put the battle in array, army against army. 22 And David left his carriage in the hand of the keeper of the carriage, and ran into the army, and came and saluted his brethren. 23 And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them. 24 And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid. 25 And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that is come up? surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father's house free in Israel. 26 And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God? 27 And the people answered him after this manner, saying, So shall it be done to the man that killeth him. 28 And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle. 29 And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause?

Can you imagine all the hundreds or even thousands of warriors that were in the field that day? There were both Israeli and also the Philistine seasoned men of combat. Archers. Chariot riders. Foot soldiers. Champions of wars past. Huge, scarred, muscular men of combat.

And along comes this ruddy, stubbly faced, nosy kid who upon hearing the Philistine champion's challenge, calls out…. “Is It My Turn Yet?”

Everybody else had their chance and they chose to hide from the giant of a man called Goliath. But the kid with a slingshot says, “When do I get my shot at him?” And the amazing thing is he kills the giant with one stone from his sling.

You got to like David! He had spunk. He had attitude.

Listen to the challenge David shouts to the giant… “Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.”

This kids got attitude! He’s fearless. He doesn’t care what anybody else thinks about the situation. He’s made up his mind.

All he needs is someone to give him a chance! All he needs is King Saul to give him the permission he needs to step into the battlefield and do what he knows he can do. “Look Saul, all these other guys you brought out here are scared to death. They’re hiding. Their bags are packed and they are ready to hightail it back home. But I want to ask you something Saul? “Is It My Turn Yet?” Can I get a chance to get my hands dirty here? Can I get a whack at this thing? Can I get a chance to prove what I’m really made of? Can I show you what God will do through me?”

Do you identify with David? Do you understand his zeal? Do you comprehend his passion and enthusiasm?

Have you ever wanted to do something for God, but people wouldn’t let you? It’s incredibly frustrating when you know in your heart that God has spoken to you to do something for Him and yet, the naysayers around you tell you to stand down. They’re afraid to stick their head out to do something real for God, but then they want to criticize and hinder you from doing what you know He’s called you to do.

David wasn’t perfect. In fact he was a real character. He was by far not the best example of a Christian character per say. But neither was he going to stand aside while some bumbling giant cursed and denied his God. David wasn’t perfect, but he was someone who stood up for God when God needed a man to stand up for Him.

Some devil is out in the battlefield taunting and challenging David’s God and David is not comfortable with just sitting on the sidelines. He’s no pew sitter. He’s not the sideline cheering section either. He’s the guy who gets out of his chair and says, “Is It My Turn Yet?” Can I get a crack at this thing?

He’s every Church’s champion. He’s the one who worships when no one worships.

He’s the one who shows up when no one shows up. He’s the one who gives if no one else gives. He’s the one who serves others in spite of who they are or where they come from. This guy loves God and nobody is going to get in the way of that.

“What are you doing here today David?” “I heard there was a devil in the land and I come to run him off.”

He may not look like much. He may not have the experience that some of the others have had. He may not be every king’s first pick. But He’s wiling! He’s waiting for His chance. He’s looking for a place where He can serve this God he’s grown to love so much.

There’s something about people who want to serve the Lord. They are a different breed altogether. They don’t usually ask for the best position. They don’t always look for the easiest job. They really don’t care how much they get recognized.

They just want to do something for Him and they’re only doing it because they Love Him!

If you’re someone who is ready to get your hands dirty for the Kingdom's sake, you need to know that there is room for you in the battlefield.

You say, “Well, I don’t have a lot of time. I don’t have a lot of talent.” Ministering to other people is not difficult. Doing for others is not rocket science.

It is said of David that he was a worshipper. He loved to worship God, but David didn’t just worship God with his lips. He didn’t just sing about God. David worshipped God with His hands. When it was time to pitch in and help, David got in the trenches and went to work. He risked life and limb many times so that the kingdom of God would advance.

So how do we worship? When you read the book of Acts you find that the early church was a community church. It ministered to one another. It helped each other.

The Bible says that the early church had all things in common. They went house to house with prayer, Bible study and worship. In the space of 2 years the early church nearly stopped the worship of the goddess Diana and turned Asia Minor upside-down with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

They did this by just ministering to one another. They introduced people who had a need in their life to Jesus Christ. They loved people.

There’s a question on the table. This is a question we are not asking someone else. We are asking it of ourselves. We are asking this question every time we hear of a need. We are asking this question every time we are asked to be involved and help. “Is it your turn yet?”

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