The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” (1 Samuel 16:1, ESV)

In 1 Samuel, chapter 16, Samuel responds to the Lord’s command, “I am sending you to Jesse in Bethlehem, for I have selected a king for myself from among his sons” (16:1). There, Samuel finds a young David, around the age of 15, and anoints him to be the future king of Israel. When I reflected on the account of Samuel anointing the teenager David as the future king of Israel, I found parallels that could be applied to the future of Christian Nursing. An insight was that those of us active in Christian nursing ministry could be like Samuel and be on the lookout for the future of Christian nursing, which I see as David’s. This first devotion will explore three key points to guide the Samuels. In the next devotion, we will explore how to be a David, the future of Christian nursing.

The first point is to be guided by the Holy Spirit. The Lord spoke to Samuel and specifically told him where to go and what to do. “Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” (1 Samuel 16:1, ESV). Like Samuel, we need to actively listen to the Lord. The Lord is at work in nursing, and we can hear and discover what He is doing and to whom He may lead us.

The Lord asked Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul…?” which brings up the next point: Get over the Past. From the Lord’s question, we can see that Samuel was having difficulty moving past King Saul, who was still king. Getting over the past is also an essential step for the future of Christian nursing. Older or more “seasoned” nurses are often stuck in their ways. This applies to nursing care, educational methodologies, and leadership skills.

Another way to get over the past was for Samuel to look to new ways the Lord would lead the Israelites. We can embrace the latest technology and tools the Lord uses or will use. How younger nurses connect or how future nurses will access scholarly publications and/or attend workshops are just a few questions to be open to new ways.

The final point is to Go. The Lord was evident to Samuel, residing in Ramah, to “go” to Bethlehem. Samuel had to leave his current place and role to venture into unknown territory and people to find the next king. For Christian nursing we may need to look for the future in new places or within different environments. This may be reaching out to new communities, clinics, or nursing schools.

As we look and pray for the future of Christian nursing, it takes an active purpose. Like Samuel, who the Lord sent, we need to be actively engaged in finding younger or less seasoned colleagues. Don’t wait for them to come to you! We need to look for Davids who are doing new and exciting things in ministry.

In the next devotion, we will explore how the Davids can be the future of nursing.