Prayer request: Before I get started I want to ask you to set your faith in agreement with me, for the situation my family is currently facing to pass. We are in faith, at peace, resisting fear, and waiting on the manifestation of what God said. We have the grace to wait and we thank you in advance for your prayers.
(Read 2 Samuel 3:6-17)
This morning we continue our series “Grace that is Simply Amazing.” As the war between the house of Saul and the house of David went on, General Abner, who had been a powerful leader well before David was even called out of Jesse’s house, became an even more powerful leader among those loyal to Saul. Remember, this man had so much influence that he single-handedly and successfully lobbied to make Saul’s son Ishbosheth the king of Israel after Saul’s death. If it were not for Abner, Ishbosheth would not be king and David would not be waiting.
One day king Ishbosheth’s relationship with Abner took a turn for the worse when the king accused the general of sleeping with one of his father’s concubines, a woman named Rizpah. Abner was offended and furious. Abner shouted to the king, “Am I some Judean dog to be kicked around like this? After all I have done for your father, Saul, and his family and friends by not handing you over to David, is this my reward—that you find fault with me about this woman? May God strike me and even kill me if I don’t do everything I can to help David get what the LORD has promised him! I’m going to take Saul’s kingdom and give it to David. I will establish the throne of David over Israel as well as Judah, all the way from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south.” The king realized he had put his royal foot in his mouth and he didn’t dare say another word. Although he was the king, he knew Abner had the power.
Abner sent messengers to David, saying, “Doesn’t the entire land belong to you? Make a solemn pact with me, and I will help turn over all of Israel to you.” King David knew the influence Abner had and he agreed, but with one stipulation. David wanted his first wife back, Michal, the daughter of Saul. Remember, Saul made her leave David and marry another man. Even though David had moved on and now had six sons from several wives, he still loved Michal and he wanted her back. David sent this message to Ishbosheth: “Give me back my wife Michal, for I bought her with the lives of 100 Philistines.” King Ishbosheth agreed, he took his sister away from her current husband, and sent her back to her original husband (David) with Abner. On the way, Abner wasted no time and started lobbying for David. The General met with several the elders of Israel and told them, “For some time now, you have wanted to make David your king. Now is the time! For the LORD has said, ‘I have chosen David to save my people Israel from the hands of the Philistines and from all their other enemies.’” The man who was once his staunch enemy was now his biggest supporter.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things:
1. Your breakthrough can come at any moment. David did nothing to initiate this turn of events. While David was minding his own business, trouble arose in the enemy’s camp and it worked out for his good. The same can happen for you. While you are minding your own business, being faithful to God to do what He has set before you, events can change quickly in your favor, bringing into manifestation what you have been waiting for. So remain faithful and keep your expectation high. Your change can come at any moment.
2. God will give you help from the most unlikely people. One of David’s most staunch enemies, Abner, turned into his greatest supporter overnight. David’s son Solomon would later teach us that something similar can happen to us. Solomon said, “When a man’s ways please the LORD, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him” (Prov 16:7). God can give you favor, by grace, to where even your enemies wind up working for your good.
3. God has a way of resurrecting dead dreams. By 2 Samuel 3 it seemed like a lifetime since David had been married to his first love, Michal. Saul separated David and Michal and both remarried and moved on with their lives. But after about 10 years, in the midst of events that seem better placed in the script of a Soap Opera than in the pages of the Bible, David and Michal were reunited. The message here is that it is never too late for God. No matter how dead the dream seems, we serve a God who can resurrect dead dreams and turn seemingly hopeless situations around!
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for Your overwhelming grace, goodness, kindness and mercy towards me. You are better to me than I am to myself. You are faithful to me, even when I am not faithful to You. Thank You! As I walk by faith to access the grace that is on my life, I thank You for providing breakthroughs for me when I least expect it. You resurrect dead dreams, hopes and desires. You give life to dead situations and turn seemingly hopeless situations around. By grace You give me favor with my enemies and You make them work for my good. You can turn my biggest enemy into my biggest supporter overnight. So I look unto You everyday and in every way. You are my source, my strength, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer and my redeemer. It is in You that I live, and move, and have my being. My trust and confidence is in You. I enter this day with fearless confidence. Fear has no power over me. No matter how bad situations get, how long my breakthroughs take, or how hot the heat gets turned up on me, I resist fear, doubt, unbelief and worry. I rest in my faith and in Your grace. I know You are working for my good and in Your perfect timing things will manifest in my favor. So I keep my hopes up, I keep my faith switch in the “ON” position, and I trust that You will bless me by Your grace, every day of my life. I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
