Where do you think David found the courage to face Goliath? This courage wasn’t just because Samuel had anointed him as king, nor merely because he was eager to marry the king’s daughter, a reward promised to Goliath’s conqueror. None of these reasons fully explain David’s commitment to battle. Read the story carefully.

Seeking the king’s daughter as his wife was simply a reward he wanted to secure before going into battle. David’s courage came from the feats he had accomplished while tending his father’s sheep, killing both a lion and a bear. This was the argument he presented to the king:

“Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God.” 1 Samuel 17:34-36.

And where did David get the idea to present such an argument to Saul? Simply because when David was told that Goliath was a seasoned warrior from his youth, it subtly implied that to confront such a man, one needed a comparable background. David’s response affirmed that he had the necessary qualifications, having already achieved feats in the shadows that he could replicate in public.

This is no different from what our graphic designer friend did. He meticulously prepared in obscurity before seizing the opportunities that came his way. Opportunities and blessings are available to all Christians, but the common challenge is preparation.

Many want to assume positions without prior preparation. I heard the story of a man who worked with the former French President François Mitterrand. Allegedly, he couldn’t present a single book to President Mitterrand that the latter hadn’t already read. It seems every time he brought a book, François Mitterrand had already read it.

President Mitterrand understood the influence of the right-wing and Charles de Gaulle’s legacy, realizing that reaching such a level required ample preparation. He did this through reading. This is what all those aspiring to greatness do—they read. I don’t go a single day without reading, because reading dispels the darkness of ignorance from the mind. God will only impart certain knowledge through reading. Daniel was a great man of prayer. He prayed three times a day.

However, it was through books that he learned that seventy years were determined for the desolation of Jerusalem, according to the number of years mentioned by Jeremiah the prophet—Daniel 9:2. Reading is learning. Once you discover your life’s purpose, you read books related to your vocation and study the biographies of those who have gone before you in that path.

As Bobby Knight said, the will to succeed is important, but more crucial is the will to prepare. And as John C. Maxwell added, before achieving fame, you must prepare yourself…

This text is an excerpt from the book “Being Established in Glory” written by Tony-Branly NZIKOU.

We invite you to read the following article “The Role of Parents in Preparing Young People.“