'Ditch the timeline’: Sadie Robertson Huff urges Gen Z not to grow impatient, trust in God’s timing
Sadie Robertson Huff, who rose to fame as a teenager on the hit series "Duck Dynasty," shared what it means for Christians to be anointed, stressing that while believers are set apart and sacred, that doesn't mean they'll be quickly elevated to positions of authority, using the story of David in the book of Samuel as an example.
Speaking at the LO Sister App Retreat in Monroe, Louisiana, Robertson Huff said many in her generation, Gen Z, allow pride and fear to lead them to question why God doesn't work on their timetable.
God, she said, doesn't instantly elevate Christians to their desired platform or position because there are experiences they need to go through first so that He can prepare them to use their anointing, she emphasized, while preaching on the topic, "Anointed Right Now" on Feb. 22.
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Reading from the book of Samuel, the 24-year-old pointed the audience to the story of David, who, long before he became king, worked for many years in the fields as a shepherd tending to his sheep while he was anointed by God. But during this time of fulfilling his duties as a shepherd, God was preparing him for the battle he would face against the giant Goliath and for his eventual succession as king of Israel.
“Sometimes you’re like, ‘I am anointed. But why am I watching the sheep? ... I’m supposed to be king, right?’ But it’s not time to be king yet. It’s time to watch the sheep,” Robertson Huff said.
“David is anointed. He is gifted. He is good-looking. He is killing it. And he’s keeping the sheep. So my point is: you can be gifted, you can be anointed, you can be called by God, you can even have it in your future that you might be king, but that does not mean that your timing with the sheep is not extremely important in your life,” she emphasized.
As a young shepherd, David used his musical giftings by playing the harp while tending to his sheep. This led to David being noticed by one of King Saul's servants, who recommended his musical talents to help soothe the king who was "tormented" by an evil spirit (1 Samuel 16:14).
“[David’s] not trying to promote himself. He’s not going around the palace and playing the harp. Notice that? He’s not outside saying, ‘Notice me. I’m so awesome,”’ she added. “He’s not trying to get a meeting with the king. ... He’s literally sitting with the sheep, playing the harp. He didn’t have to promote himself. Because when you’re anointed, you don’t have to promote yourself.”
“When you’re anointed, you don’t have to strive for someone to notice you because God sees you and God’s timing on when you will be seen will be intentional. And it won’t be until you’re ready,” she continued.
After David's performance for King Saul, instead of demanding the right to be elevated to a higher position, David went right back to his duties tending the sheep, she said.
"The thing that really qualified [David] was that God was with him. That’s what made people want to be around him. … And I love how, when David goes in and he’s playing for the king, … He’s not trying to be king,” Robertson Huff explained.
“He’s not trying to rush the process. Because so many of us do that. It’s like we finally get our opportunity, and we just want it to just blow up,” she added.
Robertson Huff said that many times when Christians receive opportunities to use their gifts and anointing to bring God glory, they oftentimes try to get ahead of God’s timing.
“We try to rush the process," she said. "We try to promote ourselves to all these people. And we don’t even realize that we actually are even promoting ourselves to God. We say, ‘God, I’m so anointed. Why am I with the sheep?’ As if He didn’t anoint you.”
“And God is [saying], You don’t know that while you’re with the sheep, I’m preparing you. You don’t know that while you’re playing the guitar, I’m preparing you. You don’t know that while you’re making those Instagram posts, I’m preparing you. You don’t know that while you’re praying, I’m preparing you,” Robertson Huff continued.
“So before you promote yourself, you just need to prepare yourself. ... Before I can ever put you in front of giants, I got to make sure you know how to steward a sheep,” she added.
Because King Saul did not have a pure heart, God removed him as king of Israel and David rose to power.
“You could be qualified with all the things that could make you king. But if you don’t have a pure heart, you’re not going to be king," she maintained. "If you don’t figure out how to sit with the sheep and tend those. If you don’t figure out how to play your gifting well, then who’s going to notice? How are you going to get seen?”
It’s important for Christians to wait on God’s timing, she reiterated, even when God’s timing is not aligned with our expectations.
“It was like five years, they believe, from the time [David] was anointed to the time he was fighting Goliath. And when he was fighting Goliath, he wasn’t even king yet. I’m just saying that God is a God of very specific time and that time sometimes is not going to fit in your timeline. ... My best advice for you is: ditch the timeline,” Robertson Huff declared.
When it was time for David to battle against Goliath, she continued, he was prepared because during his time as a shepherd, he had to occasionally fight off a lion or bear to protect the flock.
“You know how he was confident because he was faithful in the private moments because he was obedient. He stepped out when a lion or bear came and he trusted God,” she added.
When Christians feel tempted to rush ahead of God and ask why their dreams aren’t being fulfilled, or when Christians feel fearful of taking a leap of faith and conquering their dreams, they should look to Jesus, she advised.
“I hear our generation say 'why' so much to God. And God can handle your why questions. He really can. ... I’m not even saying that He doesn’t appreciate when you ask why,” Robertson Huff said.
“We can look at Jesus’ life and know that, in that moment, it was probably so hard ... to just carry that weight, and it was just like, why. But Jesus knew and God knew that because three days later, He was going to rise and that’s going to give hope for the entire world,” she declared.
