Sometimes as young people, we feel that our age limits us when it comes to doing certain things. Especially those of us in the late teens to early twenties age bracket. There certainly are times when it feels as though we are standing at a crossroad, being too old to do or have certain things but still being too young for others.
Society can also make us feel like our voices and opinions might not matter. But that's far from the truth. God has a plan for each of us, no matter our age. In fact, there are many young people that God used even when, in society's view, it seemed that there were older people who were much more capable.
God encourages us to serve Him in the days of our youth (Ecclesiastes 12:1), which just goes to show that as young people, this is our time. It's no good to tell ourselves that things will get better when we grow or that we'll start seeking to achieve certain goals when we are a little bit older.
The Bible tells of many young people that God used for extraordinary things and today, we'll be looking at 4 of them.
1. Esther (The Book of Esther)
Esther is one of two female Bible characters who has a whole book dedicated to her. One of my posts last year was also focused on her story (you can find it here). Esther was an orphan who entered King Xerxes' harem after the previous Queen, Vashti, was deposed. Although the Bible doesn't mention her age, it's safe to assume Esther was quite young- possibly even a teenager- when she entered the harem. This is due to the fact that the girls chosen for the king were usually young virgins of marriageable age.
Esther's young age makes her story even more inspiring. She dared to go before the king even when it was prohibited to do so without first being called upon and used wisdom to save her people. Imagine the pressure of having the fate of a whole nation of people in your hands.
Esther's courage and selflessness in saving her people, teaches us that as young people, wherever we find ourselves, we must be bold to speak out and defend the defenceless. When things are not right, we shouldn't keep quiet and only look out for ourselves. Rather, we must be brave and willing to do what is right. This is especially important when we find ourselves in positions of leadership and responsibility.
2. David ( 1 Samuel 16 - 1 Kings 2)
The story of David is probably one of the popular ones in the Old Testament. Even before becoming king, David- as a young teenage boy- was already showing great skills and being used by God. As a shepherd boy, he took his task of guarding the sheep seriously, even to the point of fighting off lions and bears just to protect them.
As young as he was, David boldly stood before Goliath- a Philistine giant that all of the Israelite soldiers, including King Saul himself, were too afraid to fight- and declared that he could defeat him. This confidence stemmed from within; from the knowledge of knowing what a mighty God he served.
David went on to be one of the most famous kings of Israel and his love for God is something that is very inspiring. From a young age, David sought God's face. One of the many lessons we can learn form David as young people is that, we must desire to seek God and know Him on a personal level now. Putting our trust and confidence in Him and knowing that, come what may, God has our back and is leading us to greener pastures; just as He led David into greater positions and gave him many victories.
Source: Pawel Furman - Unsplash
3. Joash (2 Kings 11 - 2 Kings 12; 2 Chronicles 23- 2 Chronicles 24)
Joash: The boy who would become king.
Joash was only seven years when he became king over Judah. Can you imagine the weight of a whole kingdom on your shoulders at such a young age? And not only was Joash very young when he ascended the throne, the Bible states that he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. All of the kings of Israel and Judah mentioned in the Bible have that sentence describing them- whether they did what was right in the eyes of the Lord or what was evil. Reading the stories of many of the other kings who were much older than Joash when they ascended the throne (1 & 2 Kings; 1 & 2 Chronicles), you can see that a lot of them did evil things in God's sight. They didn't follow the commandments of God but rather encouraged idol worshipping and immorality during their reigns.
Joash, during his reign, ordered the repairing of the Temple and followed the advice of Jehoiadia, the priest. Joash knew that at his age, despite the position he held, he still needed to be guided and was willing to learn from someone older than him to do so. There is the disclaimer that after Jehoiada died, Joash did go astray and ended up doing evil deeds. He listened to bad advice and ignored prophets sent by God to make him change his ways.
As young people, no matter who we are or what position in society we find ourselves, we must be willing to learn from and listen to wise counsel. One can never stop learning and it is important that we don't think of ourselves as above reproach and correction. Surrounding ourselves with bad company and bad advice can lead to our downfall.
4. Samuel (1 Samuel 1 - 1 Samuel 28)
Samuel was also just a young boy when the Lord called him. He had grown up in the house of God, serving under Eli the Priest. The Lord bypassed a whole priest and instead called out to a little boy. And during those times, the Bible states that 'the word of the Lord was very rare and there were not many visions' (1 Samuel 3:1).
Many times, we look at the people who are older than us, especially those who are servants of God, and put them on a pedestal. We assume that we must be exactly like them before we can have an encounter with God. But that's far from the truth. God can use anyone at any time. He has a plan and purpose for each of our lives, at whatever age or stage we may be in.
All we have to do is be like Samuel and avail ourselves to hear from God and be used by Him. Because Samuel made himself available, he became a great prophet of the Lord and led the people of Israel until he died. It was during his time that the first King of Israel - Saul- was anointed and he even anointed the second- David.
When we are attentive to the voice of God and obedient to his leadings and commands, we are able to do great things for Him and for the society we find ourselves in. God's voice can be heard physically or through His word, the Bible.
I hope reading about these 4 young people that God used, motivates you to step out into society with confidence and the knowledge that God has great plans for you. Despite your surroundings, age or even lack of experience, remember that God can still use you if you make yourself available to Him. You might not see or know how, but He is working everything together for your good.
Hope you enjoyed today's read. Are there any other lessons we could learn from these 4 Bible characters? Perhaps you have other young Bible characters in mind that we could learn lessons from as well. Feel free to share with us in the comments or email/send me a message on social media (Instagram). Always love hearing from you.
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Stay blessed and stay a blessing.
