[Life of David] Unlikely Trial, Teacher, TimingSample

Unlikely Timing

Trust God, regardless of your circumstances. God provided the kingship for David in His own timing. There was a ten-year gap that God used to prepare David the shepherd to become king.

When I was young, I would hear people say, “It’s been a really rough year,” or “It’s been a bad couple years.” I could understand having a bad first period, or maybe a bad lunch, or a bad day, even a bad week! But a bad year—like, a whole year, or a couple years? That was beyond what I imagined was possible. 

Now that I've gotten older, I understand. You can have a season when things are really, really difficult. In Houston, I would say we have been in crisis management since Hurricane Harvey. If it’s not a pandemic, it is a freeze; if it’s not a freeze, it’s a hurricane. There have been all sorts of problems just in our city over the years. Add to that your personal life, your journey, and you may end up with a bad year, or even more. 

David went through a bad ten years. It was a difficult decade in which Saul ran after him. Saul, the first king of Israel, pursued David, the second king of Israel. Saul did not want the next king to come along. He was willing to go after the jugular without even blinking. He was not a good guy, not a nice guy. He came hard after David, and David ran for ten whole years. 

At 30, David finally walked into his role as the king. Do you know anybody else who stepped into their ministry at 30? Jesus Christ did. David stepped in at the age of 30 to become king, so that when Jesus came and stepped forward at 30, all the Jewish folks in Jerusalem knew: “We’ve seen this before. He must be the King of kings and Lord of lords.” 

David faced an unlikely trial, an unlikely teacher, and unlikely timing. Yet, God was faithful through it all. God chose David to be the second king of Israel. He was unlikely to be chosen. And you are unlikely, and I’m unlikely, as well, to be chosen. Yet Jesus Christ chose us to walk out our life with Him.