I am one of those people who want everything yesterday. I do not like to wait. I want it now!!!! I remember as a kid my parents telling me we are going on a vacation in a month. I had no concept of time, so I would go ahead and pack my bag. I was ready to go. By the time the vacation came I had stopped believing we were going on vacation at all.
I am reading 2 Samuel in my Jesus time. I had forgotten about David being anointed king on two different occasions, one time by Samuel as a kid and another time when he took the role as king. In between these two moments had to have been 20 years. In between, David killed a bear and a lion, killed Goliath, been a worship leader for Saul, been an armor bearer for king Saul, led a portion of the army in victory, almost murdered on multiple occasions by Saul, chased around the country like a criminal, later hears of his best friends death, and takes 300 criminals and outcasts and make them his mighty men. David did not lack in opportunity to take the role of king in his own strength, but he would not take it apart from God’s timing. David submitted his dreams to the Lord’s timing. Even when Saul was dead, after treating David so poorly he:
2 Samuel 1:17 Then David composed a funeral song for Saul and Jonathan, 18 and he commanded that it be taught to the people of Judah.
The Lord led David to some really high moments and some really challenging ones. David learned to take all he was feeling to the Lord. He wrestled with God with some hard questions (he asked God if he had abandoned him), extreme emotions (he often asked God to break his enemies teeth), with his sin, and with his praise. David was vulnerable and real before the Lord and the Lord used it to build a foundation a king could be built on. The person Jesus wants to build in you needs to be built here, not on the opinions and wayward thoughts of others.
I think sometimes we would rather gossip and slander other people because of “how we see it”, rather than take it before the Lord and let him shape our perspective and how we handle it. David showed honor to his authority, kindness to his people, controlled fire before his enemies, and humility before the Lord. What would your life look like in 3 years if you went to the Lord with all your feeling, emotions, behaviors, and habits? What if your vulnerability and humility before Jesus shaped your relationships and behaviors? Do it now! Write it out how you feel, how you want to react, and let the Holy Spirit direct your steps.
Recklessly, obsessively following Jesus
Brandon Sereg
