1 Samuel 20:18
“Then Jonathan said to David, To morrow is the new moon: and thou shalt be missed, because thy seat will be empty.”
David was running for his life when King Saul had his annual feast where mandatory attendance of his cabinet members was expected. This put David in a bad position because he knew if he went that he would probably be assassinated. David sent word to Jonathan, Saul’s son, and asked him what he should do. Jonathan came up with a plan for David to stay out of town for a night, and at the first night of the feast, he would see if David would be missed because his seat was empty. Of course, David was missed, and Saul became angry at Jonathan for protecting David from being killed.
If you are saved, God has given you a seat to fill in His work. Your seat cannot be filled by anyone other than you. Yes, others may be able to fill in, but nobody will be able to do what you can do in your ministry seat like you can. You are a unique individual who God made to fill your seat like no other person. Several observations can be learned from this empty seat.
First, you are uniquely designed to fill your seat. You must never allow Satan to deceive you into believing that others can do your job better than you. Nobody can do your job as good as you can. God gave you the personality you have, the background you grew up in and the influences in your life so that you can fill your seat. You may feel like you are inadequate to fill your seat, but you must remember that God has made you to fill your role in the ministry.
Second, you don’t have to fill another person’s seat. Don’t fall into the trap of believing that you have to be like someone else. God never said you have to fill another person’s seat, He only requires you to fill your seat. You are right, you couldn’t do as good as another person in their seat, but they can’t do as good as you can in yours either. Stop the comparisons that lead to discouragement and realize each of you are uniquely equipped to fill your own seat.
Third, when you are not where you are supposed to be in the ministry, you are leaving a vacancy that causes strain on the ministry. Because nobody can fill your role like you can, you have to realize when you are not where you are supposed to be, you are causing the ministry to underperform. Aside from sickness, you need to do your best to be sure that your role in the ministry is filled. Don’t allow outside influences or distractions to keep you from doing what God made you to do.
Fourth, are you doing anything to be missed? I ask this question because you need to ask yourself if you are doing enough to be missed. Some people would never be missed because they are not doing what they should be doing in the LORD’s work. Friend, you should be filling your seat so well that you would be severely missed if you are not there because of sickness, a death in the family or a short vacation. Don’t be so aloof in your duties that you are never missed in the areas where you are responsible. God has given you a seat to fill. Be sure that you are doing what you can to fill your seat in the way that God intended for you to fill it.