God is preparing you for the platform

Last Sunday my pastor gave a great sermon. He's doing a series about the Isrealite kings; well those of them that were considered "good." This week he talked about David, specifically David and Goliath. (I actually don't think I've ever heard a sermon about David and Goliath; just Sunday school lessons).
David didn't just meet up with Goliath; he had to be prepared for this platform of ministry and victory. He was an obscure fellow. The youngest of his family. A sheep-herder for crying out loud! All his bros were off to war and David's dad says, "take your brothers some bread and take cheese to their commander."
1. David had to be faithful in the little things. Delivering bread and cheese may not seem significant but if David hadn't followed through he would have missed out on defeating Goliath. David could have said, "this is ridiculous. I've already been anointed king. I'm too good to be errand boy." But he didn't. He was faithful in the little things. And...
2. David was obedient. The Bible says he obeyed all that his father commanded. He didn't put it off either. It says he got up early the next morning. We have to obey the authorities God places in our lives; parents, bosses, laws, etc. Disobedience is direct rebellion against God. Yikes. ("Delayed obedience is disobedience!")
3. The preparation got David ready for the platform. Our sheep herding friend protected his flock. As King Saul was telling him, "You're just a boy! You can't face the giant," David was able to reply with confidence about fighting off bears and lions. If we think about Olympians, they train for years for just moments of fame. We don't like trials, practice, dicipline, but without them we have no platform.
We are often tempted to give up when we're only on the training stages. God is prepping us for something huge and we think, "It's too hard! I can't handle this! It's not worth it!" Maybe we're afraid of bears and lions (rightly so!). But our God is faithful. Culture says we can have "it" now, but are we willing to wait for the platform that God is preparing us for.
As Strap always says, "You're in the sowing stage of life, not the reaping stage."