#433 Happy in Hiddenness

Welcome to Kingdom Writers, where we help equip and empower Christian writers of all genres to share your unique gifts with the world. We're your hosts, C.J. and Shelley Hitz.

This podcast is filled with spiritual encouragement as well as prayers to help you overcome the resistance you face as a writer. Your story matters.

Welcome to the Kingdom Writers Podcast. My name is Shelli Hitz, one of your hosts. This episode is an excerpt from our virtual writing retreat we host every month inside our membership Christian Book Academy. You can join us with a special coupon code just for podcast listeners and this will get you 50% off your first month. Use the coupon code podcast and this way we can help you take a step of faith and finally finish your book. So go to ChristianBookAcademy.com and enter the Coupon Code Podcast at checkout for 50% off your first month. Come join us at our retreats and all the other things that we offer throughout the month, and I pray that the encouragement from this episode blesses you. So today CJ is going to share a training on the theme that Happy in Hiddenness. So cj, share this theme for us as Kingdom writers today.

Yeah, well, Shelley did kind of allude to where we're going.

We're looking actually at David, and I want to start off reading 1st Samuel, chapter 16, the first 13 verses. And this is when Samuel anointed David as king. And so it says here in verse 1. Now the Lord said to Samuel, you have mourned long enough for Saul. I have rejected him as king of Israel. So fill your flask with olive oil and go to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse who lives there, for I have selected one of his sons to be my king. But Samuel asked, how can I do that? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me. Take a heifer with you, the Lord replied, and say that you have come to make a sacrifice to the Lord. Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you which of his sons to anoint for me. So Samuel did as the Lord instructed. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town came trembling to meet him. What's wrong? They asked. Do you come in peace?

Yes, Samuel replied, I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Purify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice. Then Samuel performed the purification rite for Jesse and his sons and invited them to sacrifice too. When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliah or Eliab and thought, sure, people judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. Then Jesse told his son Abinadab to step forward and walk in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, this is not the one the Lord has chosen. Next, Jesse summoned Shimmy.

But Samuel said, neither is this the one the Lord's chosen. In the same way, all seven of Jesse's sons were presented to Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, the Lord has not chosen any of these. Then Samuel asked, are these all the sons you have? Well, there is still the youngest, Jesse replied, but he is out in the fields watching the sheep and goats. Send for him at once. Samuel said, we will not sit down to eat until he arrives. So Jesse sent for him. He was dark and handsome, with beautiful eyes. And the Lord said, this is the one. Anoint him. So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on. Then Samuel returned to Rama.

And so.

You know, just to start off, you know, we look at verse four just to show you how surprising it would have been for the prophet Samuel.

Or, or for the leader, you know, of, of Israel at the time in terms of religious leader, religious figure. Samuel comes to Bethlehem, and the elders are actually wondering what's wrong. They Autom assume, there's got to be something wrong. Is he going to pronounce judgment on us? Has he, you know, is he running from, from Saul? Is he trying to seek refuge? I mean, what is going on here? And that was the first question. They said, you know, why have you come here? And Samuel set their minds at ease. But it just shows you that even within this, this, this town, that this quiet, sleepy little town lied someone that was even hidden within that town, and that was David. So Samuel was enamored with Jesse's oldest son, Eliab. But God wasn't impressed. He was actually looking at hidden traits, not outward, superficial data. By all outward data, Eliab looked like, okay, this is the one, probably six foot three. You know, you just think of a middle linebacker in the NFL, chiseled. This has got to be the guy right here. You know, just our, our superficial outward appearance kind of data that we look at. And we're, we're encouraged to, even through social media and, you know, our TV screens and this whole popularity contest world that we're living in.

And then, interestingly enough, that David wasn't even an option. So Jesse brings all of his first seven sons out, doesn't even bother to call David out. He's not even going to be an option. He's out in the fields tending sheep and goats. Now most of you know this is a pretty low level job in Israel, you know, to be a shepherd is, you know, you're kind of out there on your own. Closest example that I might have is, is the very first job that I had, the very first official job that I had in high school was at a grocery store called Ray's Food Place. And you know, I started off making $3.85 an hour. Now at the time in Oregon, the minimum wage was 335, so we got a big bonus of 50 cents extra per hour. So it made it 385 per hour. But basically for, for a couple years I was stocking shelves in the back room while making 385 an hour hidden back there. Nobody really knowing. Occasionally I'd get the call up front to take groceries out for people to their car. But a lot of it was in those back rooms, you know, dark back rooms. And you're, you're filling the dairy aisle and of the pop and the beer and all these kind of, you know, things that needed restocking on a regular basis. And so many of you here feel like you're, you're tending sheep and goats in this season. You're living the hidden life and you're quietly honing your, we might even say rock slinging skills, practicing the harp, stringing words together, wondering if you're even going to see the light of day. Those words, the practicing that you're doing, the, the skills that you're honing, is this even going to make a difference? And now I want to say that, that I bet David at times wondered where his, his life was going to go. In the meantime, he is practicing, he is working the sheep and goats. He's being an obedient son to his father. He's carrying out his family responsibilities. But in the, you can just imagine him, you know, practicing, maybe setting up little targets, practicing with that sling for one day. He would be called upon to use that sling in a powerful way. But not even having any clue at the time what that was going to entail. If you feel like you're a person that, you know, feels like you're in that low level position right now, you're still doing the writing, you're still putting in the time. I want to just say that there's a few people that can relate to you. And some of those people include Joseph. You know, Joseph waited 13 years from the time he was sold into slavery to get the call to serve in the palace of Pharaoh. How about Moses? Moses was tending sheep for 40 years for his father in law before encountering God in the burning bush. And then how about Jesus for an example? Do you know, we know nothing about Jesus between the age of 12 and 30. You talk about hidden years, but I believe Jesus was serving in the family carpentry business between those years, being faithful, working with his hands, being. Being available to what his family needs were. And we just really, you know, in that time, he would have been honing his skills, learning the law, learning. Learning all the things that.

He would. He would. He would use later on when he began his public teaching ministry, his public ministry at age 30. So think about that 18 years of hiddenness that we don't even read about.

Some of you remember the movie the Karate Kid, the original one, where, you know, Daniel is learning the mundane, seemingly pointless tasks from his teacher, Mr. Miyagi. And what did Mr. Miyagi begin having him do? Painting fences. Right up and down, up and down, brushstrokes, wax, waxing a car, wax on, wax off, wax on, wax off, all these things. And eventually in the movie, Daniel kind of blows up at Mr. Miyagi and says, what am doing? All. I feel like I'm wasting my time. What am I doing? And Mr. Miyagi just continues to teach him the skills, the basic things that he would. He would use in his actual karate skills, his competition skills, and so things that just seem mundane. You might be wondering, what is God doing in this season of my life? What is going on here? It just feels like I'm in hiddenness. It feels like, you know, I'm unseen. Is any of this stuff going to really be useful? And I want to say that David was cultivating his gifts in hiddenness. He had no idea what the Lord would do in his life and the positions that he'd be called to. He was most likely 14 or 15 years old when he was anointed by Samuel to be king in the presence of his father and his older brothers. I want you just to think about that as well. All of these brothers had been passed over. Now they're watching, and the father is watching as well. As Samuel anoints David, you have to believe there was lots of jealousy going on. There was just lots of seeds being planted in terms of what David would experience, even in a form of some persecution from his own family, most likely. But guess where he went right after being anointed? He went right back to the fields, tending sheep and goats. And how difficult would that be for you? And I, you and I may have been given a vision or a calling, and we just know, like, okay, you're going to write a book and it's going to impact many people. Many of you have heard that. But then right afterwards, it would be like the Lord saying, now go back to your Starbucks job. Now go back to tending sheep and goats. Now go back to your raised food place. I've got more work that I'm doing in you in that season to prepare you for that book that's going to impact many. That'd be humbling. And so you can just imagine, you know, here, David's been anointed. I mean, some of us would say, take me straight to the throne. I'm ready. You know, I've been anointed and let's do this. Not David. David went right back to serving his family in the fields and carrying out his responsibilities. And these are just little things that we see in David. And by the way, David wasn't perfect. We read about that later on. But what we read is, is about a man who was cultivating the things in hiddenness that God would use later. It would be at least 15 years before he took the throne at age 30. And in those years, David was in the school of trials, turmoil and testing. I want you just to think about that. Many of us want the throne without the trials and the testing. But it's in these hidden years that the Lord does his best work in us.

And a good question we can all ask ourselves just on the side, Is, is God enough for us? Is he enough? Or do we need all these other things that.

That perhaps, you know, the world might give us validation with? We see that David was known as a man after God's own heart. But I believe he was enjoying and cultivating that heart after God during his hidden years, even before being anointed as Israel's future king. And so David was content. I believe David was satisfied in the Lord. He was stringing some of these songs together, probably practicing his harp already being a worship leader, already.

Cultivating a prayer life, a worshipful.

Life of praise before the Lord. He was already there even before he took the throne. He's already cultivating these things. I want to say if God sees fit, he will anoint us and prepare us for the doors that he's opening at the perfect time. And I want to say that our prayer closets are the ultimate hidden place where victories are cultivated and won, where, recall this scripture that Jesus gives us, Matthew 6, 6. But when you pray, go away by yourself, Shut the door behind you. There's a picture of hiddenness. And pray to your father in private. Then your father, who sees everything, will reward you. So, in. In. In closing out, I want to. I want to give us this thought. Rather than making our destination.

For example, maybe our published books are the destination. Maybe it's hearing all the. The great reviews, you know, that might come with our book or getting speaking engagements and seeing all kinds of doors open, which are all good things, by the way, that God can and may use in your life. But rather than making that destination our idol.

We can be happy in hiddenness, knowing that our father is growing and maturing us. During this season, may we also be men and women after God's own heart, just like David, whether we're hidden out in those sheep and goat fields or thrusted into the spotlight, and that's a whole nother topic that we can get into, but we do know that David was thrust into the spotlight. He put that sling to good use. All of the practicing he had done, he took down the giant. And how many know that? David, as I've heard it said from. From another teacher, he went from zero followers to a million followers on Instagram overnight after taking down that giant. And I want to say that you and I should not seek after that spotlight. We should not seek after a million Instagram followers or a New York Times bestseller. Instead, cultivate your gifts in hiddenness. Learn to be a worshiper. Be content. Even if we stayed in hiddenness all of our lives, it's like Shelley said in the beginning, all of heaven knows your name. And isn't that enough? Or do we have to have.

The accolades of men and women here on this planet giving us validation? I submit to you that we do not. We, as Kingdom writers, find our contentment in the Lord. And we're happy. Just as happy out in the fields tending sheep and goats as we are on any kind of throne or spotlight that he might give us. And so that's my. My word for you this morning.

Yeah, it's so good. And we have just been reading back through the Bible, C.J. and I, and just finished going through David's life again. And I just want to keep studying it because he is such an inspiration. He was such a worshiper. His heart was for God. You read the Psalms and you see he was honest. He's like, this stinks. I hate this. My enemies are coming against me. But, God, you're on the throne. You're gonna help me. You're my help. You're my you know, and so I just. I love David. And I. I've just been saying lately, God, make me a woman after your own heart like David. And, you know, all the things you did in his life. And then the Lord reminds me, Shelly, do you remember all of the trials and the battles and.

All of the things he went through? Like, he was in battle a majority of his life, and, you know, he. He wasn't. You know, he was out there, like, he was doing it. And it was probably difficult at times, but it's just such a good reminder that there will be hills and valleys, as that song says, right? Hills and valleys. And when we're in the valley or when we're in. We're in hiddenness, we can trust that at the right time, like it even says in Scripture, at the fullness of time, God brought Jesus into the world. And it was at the right time, at the right moment. And at the right moment, he promoted Joseph. At the right moment, he promoted David, you know, and it was actually a partial promotion because he was at first just king over Judah in the southern part of Israel. And then it was a full. You know, it was a complete fulfillment, but at the right time. And that's where God keeps speaking to me right now about waiting.

Waiting on the Lord. Because I. If you. If you know me well, I'm an action taker. The. The strength finder test. I rank very high on what they call activator. So that means, like, I want to get stuff done. And I'm like, go, go, go, go, go. And the other day, I was printing something off, and the first side was print. I was printing several of them, and I went to take them off the printer, and I took one off, and it was only printed on one side. I didn't wait to let it feed back in. Flip it, you know, print on the other side. And the Lord's like, shelley, this is a picture of you. Sometimes.

You jump ahead and you, you know, you only get half of what I have for you. What if you wait on me? What if you wait on the Lord? Now, some of you need to get a little bit of fire behind you. You're just stuck, you know, or you just thought, I'm just gonna wait here and wait here and wait here. And the Lord's already told you, go. You know, so some of you just need the. The wind of the Holy Spirit behind you. Some of you, like me, need to be more patient, wait for that timing of the Lord. And I think it's just so freeing. David, he was Content when he had zero Instagram followers. And then when he went viral, you know, after Goliath and everyone knew his name and everyone was praising him, he was content either way. And can we be content in the Lord, no matter where we're at with our writing, publishing and marking, just trusting and knowing that he has the right timing for. For us in everything. And so cj, why don't you pray for us over this topic?

Yeah, Father, we do. Thank you for just the numerous examples we have in Scripture about people toiling away in hiddenness.

And I pray, Lord, that each one of us would be content in hiddenness and that we would allow you to do your best work in and through us in preparing us for anything that you might have for us.

That we would, we would not waste that time and that we would not be seeking after what the world would think is important. But Lord, I pray that we would each accomplish the purpose that you have for us here on this. This planet in the time that we have. And may we can meet. May we be content either way, because our portion is in the Lord, our reward is in the Lord. And we just, we thank you, Lord, for the ways that you can and will use our writing to impact others. We are praying for that fruit to come about, Lord, and for the right doors to open at the right time. And I'm praying for each one here, that each one would be able to be compensated for their work, whether that means financially or bearing fruit spiritually, hearing testimony after testimony of what you're doing in and through their writing. I pray, Lord, for God ideas and just creativity as, as we continue to right for you, Lord. And we ask this in Jesus name. Amen.

Amen. Yeah. And in our instant society, it's hard to be content in that day by day faithfulness in hiddenness. But God will reward us. And as C.J. was praying, it reminded me of Psalm 27. That's one of the psalms I really like from David. And he did have his contentment in the Lord. And it says in verse four, this is the esv. One thing I asked of the Lord, that I will seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. That was the other thing that stuck out to me as we were rereading about David's life this time it's like he inquired of the Lord. He inquired of the. It says David inquired in the esv. That. That's the translation. Translation I read it just David inquired of the Lord. He inquired. And the Lord's like, Shelly, I want you to keep coming to me, inquiring of me even more often. And so even in these hiddenness, these hidden years, you know, God is wanting you to connect with him, to seek him, to gaze on his beauty, to inquire of him, to have those business meetings with him and to receive that direction from Him. So we are so excited to know, you know, just to to have one small part of what God is doing in all of your lives as you write for the kingdom. Would you like more? If you are enjoying this podcast, but want more, I have something exciting to share with you. We have released what's called a private podcast. So a private podcast you will not find by searching in Apple. You have to know specifically how to subscribe to it. It's more private and exclusive and it just can be more relaxed behind the scenes. And my new private podcast is called Hits Blitz and it's wisdom for writers that you're going to learn from my 18 plus years of experience in publishing and online marketing so that you can move forward in God's call to write. I am best known for injecting energy and enthusiasm into everything I do and inspiring those around me to take action. So I I encourage you to listen in to this exclusive private podcast. It is free, 100% free. You don't have to pay for it. And be prepared to be inspired by my next Hits Blitz. So you can sign up@trainingauthors.com hitsblitz and if you have any other writing friends that you think could benefit from it, definitely share it with them. They can go to the same link trainingauthors.com hits blitz to get access. Again, this is a private podcast so you cannot get access to it any other way. It's completely free. All you have to do is sign up and then you'll get all the information on how to add it to your podcast player of choice. So I can't wait for you to join me over there. I share a lot of things behind the scenes and more content just in a real time basis. So it's more like chatting with a friend or following someone on stories on social media. Except you don't have to get caught up in any of the algorithms. You'll just have this in your podcast player and be able to listen in wherever you're at, whatever you're doing. Some of the listeners told me this week that they were listening while waiting in the Target parking lot, while brushing their teeth. You can fit this into the pockets of time that you have. So I hope you'll join me. Come over to trainingauthors.com hitsblitz if you're ready to take a step of faith and finally finish your book, we have a few ways we can help you. First of all, you can join our Free Writing Week challenge to create a writing habit in just 15 minutes a day. Thousands of writers have taken this over the years and it is incredible the progress that you'll see. So join us@writingweek.com and again, this is completely free. Inside our Book Writing Lab workshop you can choose your book topic, write an outline and create a writing plan in just 90 minutes so you'll finally feel confident that you'll actually finish your book. Get started@bookwritinglab.com and finally you can get more support and personalized feedback from myself and our team by joining Christian Book Academy because the honest truth is most most writers stay stuck and never finish their first draft. But inside Christian Book Academy, we help you partner with God to write your book so you can become a published author. So finally ditch your self doubt and take a step of faith so you can finish your book. Join Christian book academy@christianbookacademy.com and get 50% off your first month by using the Coupon Coupon Code podcast at checkout. There's a special coupon code for our podcast listeners. We love you. So come on over to ChristianBookAcademy.com use the coupon code podcast and we look forward to working closely with you.

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