The Darkroom

Whenever the spirit from God came on Saul, David would take up his lyre and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.

1 Samuel 16:23

Remember when cameras used film that needed to be developed? The process required a darkroom, a special red light, and trays of chemical solutions. You couldn’t take shortcuts or expose the room to light, and the development process determined the quality of the prints.

In the same way, David spent a long time in God’s darkroom before he became king of Israel. He was a teenager when—unbeknownst to Saul—he was anointed as the future king of Israel. But King Saul was still on the throne with apparently no plans to step down. Neither Samuel nor David had any idea when David would take the throne. Fifteen years passed before David was crowned at thirty. In the meantime, David served Saul and was faithful where he was.

Maybe you think you’re in God’s darkroom today. Trust that He is developing and preparing you. He’s preparing you for the roles He has for you in your future. God always uses other people, time, and circumstances to transfer the image of Christ onto our souls. When we emerge from God’s darkroom, nothing can destroy the image of His Son developed in our lives.

Lord God, thank You for preparing me to do Your work in this world. Please keep making me like Jesus in the process.