“From Forgotten to Favored, by a Father That Cares”

We have a whole generation of kids who are plagued with “an orphaned heart”. Our nation is filled with young people who will never know their fathers. It's a sad truth that more and more fathers are absent and will never become part of the lives of their children. Many walk out on their families when things get tough.

We’ve all experienced disappointment in one way or another. Relationships that we thought would last forever come to an unexpected end. Friends who promised to stand by us, no matter what, suddenly turn their back on us and walk away. People walk out on us leaving us feeling helpless, worthless, alone, and without hope.

The Old Testament King of Israel, David, knew about disappointment early on. We get a glimpse into what David’s family life must have been like from 1 Samuel Chapter 16. Samuel tells Jesse, “One of your sons has been chosen by God to be the next King of Israel.”

Jesse calls all of his sons, except David. How would that make you feel? It's as if a man comes to your house to pick the next President and your parents call all your brothers and sisters except you. Instead, they leave you to do the chores.

The amazing part of the story is that, even after Samuel said no seven times to every one of Jesse’s sons, it still didn’t even occur to Jesse to get David. Samuel had to ask him, “Are there any more sons?” Jesse replied, “Just David.”

So yeah, David knew what it meant to be rejected. However, he also knew what it meant to be Called, Anointed, and Chosen by God. David knew exactly what he was talking about when he wrote Psalm 27:10, "When my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will lift me up.”

As the Late Eddie DeGarmo wrote, "He was accepted by the One who matters the most". David experienced the one word from God that turned his whole life around. God said, “I have chosen you to be King!” David went from forgotten to favored, just like that! Even though it seemed David was forsaken by those who should have loved him the most, he knew that he was never forsaken by God.

The same thing is true for you and me! God will always be there. He will take care of us. He will never leave us nor forsake us. He will be with us even until the end. We are no longer forgotten, we are favored by our Father who cares!