In the Waiting

One of my favorite people in the Bible is King David.

I like King David most in his early years. In fact, there is a segment of his life that absolutely boggles my simple mind.

It’s the time between David’s anointing by Samuel and his actually becoming King of Israel.

Picture this with me. Here’s this kid – literally – minding his own business. He’s tending the sheep, quite a lowly job. It’s so lowly that the youngest of 8 boys is given this meager duty. But he doesn’t mind. He’s a good shepherd. And he’s more than a shepherd. He’s learned to play the harp, and he’s built his courage. He’s already killed a bear and a lion. He’s a good kid.

And he’s almost forgotten. Samuel shows up in I Samuel 16 by God’s directive. He talks to Jesse, David’s father. He then runs through 7 of Jesse’s boys and doesn’t find the one he’s looking for. As an afterthought, Jesse remembers young David tending the sheep.  But…but….there’s no way in the world that David could be the kid Samuel is looking for.

It’s an awesome story. I still cheer when I read I Samuel 16:7. God sees David’s heart and totally goes for the underdog.

Now mind you, David didn’t seek this great honor. He never dreamed he’d be more than a shepherd let alone a king. But his life is forever changed in a moment when Samuel shows up and anoints him as king over Israel.

Now stay with me for a second, because things go well for David at first, and it’s clear that this anointing is no mistake. See, right after I Samuel 16 comes I Samuel 17 where David goes up against Goliath and kills the giant! He becomes an overnight sensation. Forget Menudo, David is his one man boy band. Everyone loves him, and he soon becomes part of King Saul’s entourage. Things keep getting better as the Bible recounts stories of David’s success in battle and his amazing musical abilities.

But not for long…

Pretty soon the tables are turned. And from I Samuel 18 until II Samuel 2 things go south for David. I mean bad. That’s a total of almost 10 years and 15 chapters in the Bible bad. They are years of escaping from King Saul turned mad. They are years of hiding in caves and strongholds. They are years of leading a motley crew of losers (I Samuel 22:1-2). They are disastrous years of wondering what in the world went wrong.

Do you see it?

I mean David never went looking for the job of king of Israel. He was minding his own business when Samuel showed up.

What did he do to deserve those years of waiting? Or worse, those years of banishment and attack by Saul? I mean where was God in all of it? Could God have made a mistake?  What kind of cruelty would anoint an innocent hard working God loving kid to be king, only to abandon him to a life in the wilderness running for his life?

Ah. Now therein lies the question.

What God of grace would train up a kid to become a resilient and mighty warrior? What God of goodness would raise up a king absolutely loved by all? What God of purpose would allow the necessary years to make David far more than he ever dreamed he would be? What God of foresight would build up the kingdom of David one battle at a time? What God of patience would prepare David to be a man fit to rule a nation?

Do you find yourself in the waiting? Has God called you to something greater, but you find yourself defeated, running, confused?

Don’t give up. He hasn’t forgotten you. He is preparing you for the very job he has prepared for you.

David did become the greatest king in Israel. A city would be named after him. Jesus would descend from him.

Never forgotten.

Never mistaken.

Never confused.

God has a purpose for you in the waiting.

Trust him in it.

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