Last week we learned that we
shouldn't rejoice when our enemies get hurt or are going through a
tough time. We shouldn't be happy when others who despise us, are
not excelling. We should rather pray for them that God's will be
done in their lives. We shouldn't gloat or rub it in their faces,
no; we should rather walk this road with God as worthy children of
Him. David did just that when he heard that Saul had died. He wept
for him and even wrote a song for him. David's actions were
exemplary; given all that Saul had done to him.
Now that Saul was dead, David was
free to go back to Israel. But instead of just assuming that he
could go back, he first enquired of the Lord. The Lord told him
yes, he can go back to Judah. God told him to go and settle in
Hebron. He and all his men obeyed and went to settle in Hebron.
"Then the men of Judah came,
and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah." 2
Samuel 2:4
Finally the promise made to David
by God has been fulfilled. But only in part. He was only made king
over Judah and not all the other tribes. Abner, the commander of
Saul's army, took Ishbosheth, Saul's son and made him king over the
rest of the tribes. So for seven years and six months David was
king only over Judah and not the whole of Israel. And even though
the full manifestation of all that God had promised him hadn't come
to pass, David did the best he could with the kingship that God had
already given him.
So basically within days from the
lowest point in David's life, God exalted him to king over Judah.
He didn't have to fight for it, he didn't have to reason with
people and convince them that he had to be made king, no, God
simply gave it to him. It was certainly one swift exaltation.
This made me think of Joseph too.
He was one moment at the lowest point in his life, namely the
dungeon and the next he was the second mightiest man in Egypt. This
all happened without going through the hierarchy, without a whole
voting process, without even proving himself. This happened because
he trusted in God and God honored him.
The same with Moses. One moment
Moses was a shepherd tending sheep in the wilderness and the next
he was the leader of 2.5 million people, challenging the mightiest
man on earth namely the Pharaoh. But God was mightily with him and
exalted him at exactly the right time.
Do not despair when you are at a
low point in your life. Don't give up when you don't see your
God-given dreams materializing. Just keep walking with God. Give
each step with Him. Just keep being faithful in the small things.
Once God can trust you with that, He will exalt you higher and
quicker than you ever dreamed possible. The speed at which you will
move will astound you. But first things first, do what He has
placed on your plate today with excellence. Do it to the best of
your ability and do it as if you are doing it for Him, even the
most mundane tasks. Do not look around you at what God is doing
with other people, but focus on the here and now and what He is
asking of you today. Do not consider anything that you do as
unimportant. Everything that you are doing as His Temple has
significance and can either lead people to Him or chase them away.
God wants you to be a magnet to a lost world, drawing them closer
to Him. He wants you to shine out as the Temple that you are and
attract people to Him. And as soon as He sees your light shining
brightly, He will raise you unto a hill so that more people can see
His light shining through you. But until then, be faithful right
there where you are.
Father thank you for Your plans for
us. Thank you that we can know that our time of exaltation is
coming. Please help us to be patient and faithful right where You
have placed us. You know best Lord, our God and King. Amen