As winter begins to melt into spring, we are reminded that God uses seasons to shape our lives and transform our hearts. We can look at many examples in the Bible and see how God led people through both challenging and fruitful seasons toward where He called them to be. Perhaps one of clearest examples of this was David’s journey to becoming king.

In 1 Samuel 16 David was anointed to be the next King of Israel: 

“So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David.” 

1 Samuel 16:13 (NIV)

However, David’s journey to being king was not straightforward. It was filled with periods of success and recognition, then service and solitude. Even when David first stepped into the royal sphere when Saul's army faced Goliath, David still had to tend to the sheep. 1 Samuel 17:15 says, “but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.” (NIV)

Like David, we may find that our journey to what God has called us to do is filled with seasons where we are in the pasture, and seasons when we are in the palace. Let’s take a look at what those seasons look like, how God uses them, and why both are so important.