Memo 1065: Finally
Does it seem like you have been waiting forever, or at least longer than you ever expected, for God to fulfill His promise to you? Are you about to give up or at least move on? If so, then this week's Memo will help you, for finally, after at least a 20-year wait, David became king of Israel. Let's look at that event to see what you can take away from it and apply to your own life situation.
"YOU'RE OUR KING"
After Saul's son on the throne had been killed, we read that the people came to their senses:
All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “We are your own flesh and blood. In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the Lord said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.’” When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, the king made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel. David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years. In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years (2 Samuel 5:1-5).
All of a sudden, the people who had cooperated with Saul, those who had harassed and persecuted David, came to him and said, "You know what? You're our king! You've always been our king!" David could have said, "Where have you all been these last two decades? Now you want me to lead you after you and your former king put me through so much!" David's reaction isn't recorded, but he probably breathed a sigh of relief and thought, "Finally!"
Yes, there is a finally to every promise of God. God wasn't being arbitrary or whimsical in leading David to the throne. It took as long as it did to get David ready for leadership and when he was ready, God opened the door. His promotion started with God showing the people what David had known all along—that he was to be the king. David's former rivals and enemies became his subjects, but God had to open their eyes before that happened. And God has to show people who you are before you can be accepted as such.
A NEW AUDIENCE
I can relate this process to my own life journey to my throne, the place of leadership and authority God had for me. I waited 11 years for a pulpit, preaching two times in those 11 years. Then after my dream job of traveling the world to organize worship conferences ended, I began to consult to help organizations build more effective teams. Since I had a paying job, I would not bill much to consult, usually only charging the cost of my materials ($30) for some personality profiles.
When I wanted to do the consulting full time, I knew I had to charge more, but the people who knew me as the $30 man were not willing to pay $250 for the same services. I had to go to new places and find a new audience who saw the worth of what I was doing. I had to trust God for a new market who saw $250 as reasonable. In other words, God had to open the eyes of my clients, just like God had to open the eyes of Israel to see David in a new light as God saw him. That meant I often had to travel to Africa where I was accepted in the fullness of who God made me to be as opposed to my local friends who knew me as that $30 man who was now, in their mind, over-charging for his services.
What about you? Are you waiting for God to open the eyes of others to the reality of who He made you to be? Perhaps you need to find a new audience or market like I had to do? Maybe the people you are destined to help aren't desperate enough yet to humble themselves and accept your mantle of leadership? Maybe you have to go away and then come back to your opportunity?
Whatever is going on, you should be encouraged by David's story this week that every waiting period has a "finally" ending when God moves and establishes you on your throne. Don't give up for in the fullness of time, people will come to you and tell you what you knew all along—that God was and is with you. Have a blessed week!