1 Samuel 16:1-13 · 5-day study

Field By Faith

Going deeper on Steven Furtick's sermon at Elevation Church (Charlotte, NC).

Week of Aug 23, 2026

The big idea

You don't have to feel ready to obey God — real faith means taking the next step while your emotions are still a mixed-up mess.

Day 1 · Free1 Samuel 16:1-13

First Impressions

Meeting the shepherd boy nobody expected

Samuel is stuck. He's spent years grieving over Saul — a king he never wanted Israel to have in the first place, and now that king has blown it. God finally breaks the silence: "How long will you mourn for Saul? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way." That's the whole tone of this story right out of the gate. God doesn't wait for Samuel to feel ready. He just tells him to move.

So Samuel heads to Bethlehem, and Jesse lines up his sons one by one. Samuel takes one look at Eliab — tall, strong, kingly looking — and thinks, this has to be the guy. But God stops him cold: "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." One by one, seven sons pass by. God says no to every single one. Finally Samuel asks, "Are these all the sons you have?" And there's this almost embarrassing pause — oh yeah, there's one more, but he's just out in the field with the sheep. Nobody even thought to call him in.

That's David. Not in the house. Not on the list. Just doing the unglamorous job nobody wanted, while his family ate dinner without him. And that's exactly who God picked. Samuel anoints him right there, and the text says the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully on David from that day forward. The kid in the field became the king in the palace, and nobody saw it coming — except God.

Here's what strikes me reading this fresh: God wasn't scrambling for a backup plan when seven sons failed to qualify. He knew about David before Samuel ever left his house. The one who felt forgotten was actually the one being watched the whole time. If you've ever felt like the person left out of the room while everyone else gets picked, this story was written for you.

Sit with this

  1. 1When was the last time you felt like the one out in the field, overlooked while everyone else got picked — and how does knowing God already had His eye on David change how you see that season?

Journal prompt

Think of a time you were sure you knew how things would turn out, and God surprised you with something you never saw coming. Write about what happened and what it taught you about how God sees you differently than you see yourself.

Days 2–5 are in the app

Carry Steven Furtick's sermon through the whole week.

  1. 2

    Look Closer

    What it actually means that God 'looks at the heart'

  2. 3

    What It Meant Then

    Why a secret trip to Bethlehem was actually dangerous

  3. 4

    The Hard Question

    Are you waiting to feel ready before you obey?

  4. 5

    Carry It Forward

    God has a habit of filling empty seats

Start this study free

Free while in beta. Journal and ask questions as you go.

Where the passage connects

  • 1 Samuel 16:1-13

    This is the whole sermon in one story: God tells a grieving Samuel to stop mourning and go anoint a new king, showing that God can use us in the middle of unresolved sadness and that He judges the heart, not looks or age.

  • 1 Samuel 3:4-10

    This earlier scene of young Samuel learning to recognize God's voice under Eli is used as a contrast to chapter 16, showing that even after decades of walking with God, you can know it's Him speaking and still not know how to carry out what He's asking.

  • Matthew 4:19

    The call to follow Jesus rather than to feel Him first is used to argue that obedience, not emotion, is the actual instruction Jesus gives.

  • Mark 4:26-29

    The parable of a man who scatters seed and doesn't understand how it grows is used to explain why spiritual growth can happen even when we can't track or explain how it's happening.

“You can be anxious and excited, and the one you lean into the most determines where your life leads.”

Steven Furtick

“God does not judge you based on what you feel. You can feel it even when you don't feel it.”

Steven Furtick

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This study is an original devotional inspired by Steven Furtick's message “Filled By Faith! | I Know That Voice | Pastor Steven Furtick | Elevation Church” at Elevation Church. Watch the original sermon.