Wednesday, March 07, 2007 - Work Principles from King David - Part 1
David was a man after God’s own heart, and there are many admirable things about David to inspire us.
Principle #3: Be patient in the waiting room.
When David was anointed to be the king by Samuel, he might have expected a coronation ceremony to follow quickly thereafter. But it didn’t work out that way. Did you know that from the time Samuel anointed him king until he was on the throne was about 15 years?
He was anointed by God’s prophet in obedience to God’s instructions, so in God’s sight, David was the king from the day he was anointed. But he had to wait for God’s timing before he actually took the throne, and it was a long wait.
As you study the life of David, you have to admire his patience during this waiting period. He seemed to accept it with incredible grace and contentment, convinced that God would work his purpose for his life at the right time.
Have you ever spent much time in God’s waiting room? Did you wait patiently for God, or were you irritable and fearful and maybe even angry? It seems to be one of my most difficult lessons to learn–to wait patiently for the Lord and trust His timing.
From these years of waiting, David gave us some beautiful words of encouragement. In Psalm 37:7 we read “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.” I’ve done my share of fretting over others who seem to be succeeding in their wicked ways, how about you? David certainly was speaking from experience, as much of his waiting time was spent as a fugitive, running for his life from King Saul. But from that he gives us great encouragement.
So, when your patience is running low and you think God is just moving too slowly, remember David. He waited 15 years for the job God promised him, and he waited patiently. He wrote in Psalm 40: I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
The same God who worked on David’s behalf during that long waiting period is the God who will work on your behalf. Trust Him–He is a trustworthy God.
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