Acts 13:22 After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’
Anytime God describes someone as ‘a man after my own heart,’ study them carefully. Let’s look at the life of David. He had a humble start but a great finish. David began as a shepherd and ended up as a king.
The chances of that happening were slim to none. In those days shepherds were so low on the totem pole they couldn’t testify in the court of law; their word wasn’t considered reliable. Yet David ended up writing the most widely read and loved psalms of all time.
When you invite God into your life He cancels the liabilities of your past and rewrites your future. But you must choose what He has chosen for you. There’s an interesting contrast between Paul and David. Paul ‘sowed his wild oats’ before he met Christ, then went on to live an exemplary life. David became king at thirty; yet during his forty years in leadership he experienced devastating failure.
There are two lessons here :
1) Don’t rush to judgment. It is not over until God says it’s over. David’s story is a warning to the transgressor, a rebuke to the self-righteous, a testimony to the justice of God that won’t allow us to escape our consequences, and to His love that will never let go of us.
2) God can bring good out of it. He can take every experience you’ve been through, both positive and negative, and make it work for good, either your good or the good of others. When you seek to fulfil God’s purposes in spite of your flaws, He makes ‘…all things work together for good…’
David was anointed to be king in his teens, but he only ascended the throne at thirty.
There’s a pattern here:
1) God calls the man. In spite of being unappreciated by his family and overlooked by the prophet, God picked David. He also picked Deborah to lead the nation in a male-dominated society. Stop trying to figure God out, and stop comparing yourself to others! ‘Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?’ (Romans 9:21). We’d have rejected many of the people God used; which lets us know how much we don’t know.
2) God decides the plan. ‘Being confident of this of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it…’ (Philippians 1:6). Who decides it? Who performs it? Who should your confidence be in? God! Gods plan for David involved years of ducking Saul’s spears, living in caves and working with 600 misfits who redefine the word ‘dysfunctional.’ God trains you in a small sphere so you can handle a bigger one.
3) God knows the span of time required. ‘…Who through faith and patience [endurance] inherit the promises…’ (Colossians 1:11-12). Endurance means standing firm under pressure. The prize belongs to the man or woman who’s committed for the long haul. Joseph refused to let go of his dream; it’s what enabled him to say no to the advances of Potiphar’s wife and endure unjust imprisonment. But the day came when Potiphar and his wife knelt before Joseph. So keep your eyes on the prize and don’t give up!
Some of God’s promises are fulfilled quickly. But others, like the one God gave to David telling him he’d be king, have to be fought for. The Jebusites controlled Jerusalem; they taunted David saying, ‘…You will not get in here…’ (2 Samuel 5:6). To make matters worse, Jerusalem was on an elevation hundreds of feet above David’s army. The only way up was through a water cistern where they had to wade and climb through pitch-black darkness. ‘Nevertheless David took the strong hold of Zion…’ (2 Samuel 5:7).
Understand this: if He has to, God will bring you up through the gutter to get you to the throne! Notice two words: ‘nevertheless’ and ‘took’. When you’re up to your neck in problems and the enemy is saying, you won’t make it,’ stand on God’s Word and declare ‘nevertheless’. Rise up in faith and claim what God’s promised you. ‘… The people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits’ (Daniel 11:32). God can show you how to exploit the situation for your good and His glory.
But don’t expect everybody to celebrate your success. ‘…When the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, [they] went up in search of David…’ (2 Samuel 5:17). You’ll have to fight to get to your destiny and fight to hold on to it. You can’t ‘coast’ on old victories. With each new battle you have to get fresh instructions. ‘…David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines?”…the Lord said…” Go up, for I will…deliver the Philistines into your hand” (2 Samuel 5:19). Today, go forward knowing God is with you! Numbers 22-24, Mark 8:14-26.
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