Meanwhile, Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saul’s army, had taken Ish-Bosheth son of Saul and… made him king over…all Israel (2 Samuel 2:8-9).
Heavenly Father, You are God Most High. You are sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and give them to anyone You wish (Daniel 4:17). You chose David Your servant and took him from the sheep pens; from tending the sheep You brought him to be the shepherd of Your people Jacob, of Israel Your inheritance (Psalm 78:70-71).
Lord, sometimes the path from Your calling to its fulfillment, is, from a human perspective, neither quick nor straightforward. We see this in the life of David, whom You anointed king while still a young boy tending his father's sheep in Bethlehem (1 Samuel 16:13).
David's path of preparation led literally and figuratively through the painful twists and turns of difficult and treacherous terrain. He forged forward through battlefields, victories and celebrations, jealous rages and attacks, royal caprices, fragile relationships, bitter-sweet bonds.
He lived with the distressed, the debtors, the discontented, the outcasts. He lived in caves, in foreign lands, in enemy territory, in constant flight. He battled dejection, discouragement, disloyalty, derision. He faced judgment, disapproval, criticism, rejection, mutiny.
And even after all that— after King Saul and Jonathan his next in line had died in battle— the fulfillment of Your purpose and Your promise was not immediate. Abner, the commander of Saul's army, with willful calculation and vengeful determination, set out to thwart Your divine plan. He tried to install another of Saul's sons as king, even though, by his own later admission—he knew that God had, on oath, promised the kingdom to David (2 Samuel 3:9-10).
Father, thank You for giving us the life and writings of David! Thank You for the raw honesty of the psalms he wrote. Thank You for the inner struggles he documented as he scaled rocks, fought giants of fatigue, wrestled with despair, clambered out of pits. Thank You that he never lost sight of Your unfailing love and Your goodness, even when the long preparation was still not complete, and he had to hold on just a little bit longer for the promised kingdom.
O God, help us to draw strength and encouragement from David's example. Help us to wait patiently for the Lord (Psalm 40:1), even when the process seems long, the giants seem strong, and You ask us to hold on just a little bit longer. Help us to trust Your plan, and Your timing, as You mold us, and shape us, and prepare us for the joys and the responsibilities of Your kingdom.
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