This morning I continue our series entitled, “Standing on a Word from God.” This is Part 67 of the series and Part 39 of the life of David.
(1 Samuel 30 – 2 Samuel 2)
Because I am going to close out this series this week, I am going to fast forward from 1 Samuel chapter 30 to 2 Samuel chapter 2 in this message.
Yesterday we saw how David and his men lost everything at Ziklag. They cried until they ran out of tears. Afterwards, David’s men turned on him. He had no one left. So he had to encourage himself in the Lord. He sought the Lord concerning what to do. The Lord told him that he would “Recover ALL!” So David and 600 of his men set out on the mission. Long-story-short, they got EVERYTHING and EVERYONE back! Sometimes you have to go into the enemy’s camp and take back what he stole from you!
In the chapters that I am skipping over a great deal happened. One of the most impressive things that happened was that David had the chance to kill Saul twice. Both times, however, he chose not to. Even though Saul was out to kill him, David refused to touch Saul. He wanted to be king, but he wanted it to happen the right way. This is a great lesson for us to learn while we are waiting on God. If you get the right thing, but you get it the wrong way, it becomes the wrong thing!
At the end of 1 Samuel Saul and his three sons were killed in a battle with the Philistines. David learns of Saul’s death in 2 Samuel chapter 1. He mourned the loss of Israel’s king and his former father-in-law. Even though Saul had been terrible towards David, David still respected Saul and grieved his death.
After having accepted the reality of Saul’s death, David inquired of the LORD concerning his future. David had a priest with him, but he chose to inquire of the LORD himself, directly. He asked God, “Should I move back to one of the towns of Judah?” Israel had 12 tribes. Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin. David was from Judah. David knew he was destined to reign as the king over the entire nation (all 12 tribes), so he could have prayed about going to any of the regions, but he asked God about going home to Judah. I believe David was led in his heart to make this request, but because the Lord said, “Yes”. The Lord even told him which town to go to within Judah. He was to go to Hebron. That is exactly what David did and as soon as he settled in Hebron with his family, the Bible says, “The men of Judah came to David and anointed him king over the people of Judah.” While this was not yet the ultimate position and David was king of only one of the 12 tribes, David was certainly incrementally closer to God’s overall destiny for his life.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things:
1. There is a PATH to your purpose. The writer of Hebrews told us to run with patience (also translated endurance) the race that God has “set” before us (Heb 12:1). Not only do I believe we have a God-ordained purpose, but I also believe there is a God-ordained path to that purpose. David went from obscurity to national hero overnight. He married the king’s daughter, moved into the royal palace, and had people singing his name. But just when you thought David had it all, he wound up on the run and living in a cave. This path was not always easy. David made his fair share of mistakes along the way. But whenever he got in position, like he did when he moved to Hebron, there was a blessing waiting for him in that place. It is the same with you. You have a God-ordained path to your purpose. You will stray from time to time. If you are led of the Holy Spirit, He will lead you to make course-corrections. When you get back in position, God’s blessing will be waiting for you. Living this way, little by little, you will arrive at God’s overall desired destination for your life.
2. There is a PACE to your purpose. By 2 Samuel chapter 2 it had been 13 years since Samuel anointed David to be the next king of Israel. Even after 13 years, it still had not come to pass. David was king of Judah and he would not become king of Israel for another 7 years. Humanly speaking, you would think that it was taking too long. But remember, God’s timing is not your timing. God anointed David king when he was a teenager, even though He knew there would be a space of about 13 years in between the promise and the partial manifestation of it; and another 7 years until the full promise came to pass. 20 years seems like a lifetime to us. But it is only a ‘blink of an eye’ to God. The point is that God will give you promises, but He also knows the PACE at which those promises will come to pass. Sometimes we get impatient, shortsighted, restless and anxious. But we must learn to enter into God’s rest. If God said it, IT HAS TO COME TO PASS! So, slow down, run your race at your pace, and know that God has a blessing for you in each stage, level and season, as you continue down the road to your destiny. Just remember, you can’t get to the next season until you finish this one.
3. There is a GRACE for your purpose. If someone were to meet David when he was reigning as the king over the entire nation of Israel and say, “Wow, I would sure love to be that guy, he has it all… He is SO lucky!” they would be making the statement without understanding all David went through to get what he got. People envy the glory without knowing the story. What David went through to fulfill his purpose would have broken most people. But David had the grace for it, because it was HIS purpose. Likewise, whatever God has called you to do, He has also graced you to do. You have grace (God’s divine empowerment) to run your race. So no matter how hard your journey gets from time to time, just keep reminding yourself that you have the grace for your assignment. You don’t have other people’s grace and they don’t have yours. That’s why you just need to focus on running your race and let others run theirs. Whatever God expects you to do, He already equipped you to do! And what He equipped you to do, He expects you to do BEFORE YOU DIE!
Closing Confession:
Father, thank You for making plans for me from the foundations of the world. Before my mother met my father You established my purpose and You also prepared a PATH for me to get there. I declare that I shall run the race You have set before me with patience and endurance. I will journey down the road to my destiny determined to make the most of every level, stage and season. Not only do I have an ordained PATH, but I also have an ordained PACE at which I am to run my race. I don’t concern myself with other people, because they have their own race, and they are running at their own pace. Someone else’s pace may be too slow for me, frustrating me along the way. And then again, someone else’s pace may be too fast for me, leading me to get burned out. I could even kill myself trying to keep up someone else. I have a tailor-made assignment from You and I will follow my PATH at my PACE because You have given me the GRACE to do so! I am graced to overcome every obstacle, accept every success, and maximize every season on the road to my destiny! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
