Leadership From The Ground UpSample

Lost Perspectives and Hope

As Saul’s foundation crumbled, he ultimately becomes volatile and paranoid. He initially develops a close relationship with David, only to turn suddenly against David the moment that people dared to sing a playful song in the streets:

“Saul kills by the thousands, and David by the ten thousands.”

For a king who already had a shaky foundation of misplaced personal confidence, this song was probably the equivalent of feeling a small, sharp rock rubbing against your foot in the middle of a long run and not having the ability to remove your shoe. Ouch!

And through this, David never spoke a word against Saul. Young David spent hours with Saul at his most depressed, his most un-kingly moments. David personally witnessed the torment and weight that crushed Saul as a result of his disobedient choices and self-focus.

David didn’t brag and join in the singing that he was a mightier warrior than Saul. Later in David’s life, long after Saul had died, David continued to have a heart of honor and compassion for God’s first appointed king of Israel.

Still, the playful song in the streets seemed to change Saul’s view of David. The boy who once was a loyal servant-leader to Saul, who did all that was entrusted to him well, was suddenly a new threat in the eyes of someone who was now fully absorbed in himself. The more Saul went his own way and desperately sought to build himself up, the more distrustful he grew toward others.  

Let that be a powerful lesson for us. When our focus and faith shift from God’s strength to our own, the results will always find us isolating ourselves in some way and losing the perspective that we need to effectively lead others. 

Effective leadership requires us to have a strong foundation so that we can confidently stand in the tension when challenges come. Strong foundations allow us to communicate clear direction when others start to slip off the path. Saul’s leadership journey highlights the importance of building a strong foundation of faith in God from the very beginning. Building leadership from the ground up means that we don’t remain passive or hide from our calling into new territories, instead we grow stronger with every step - small or large - taken in obedience to God.

Tomorrow we will discuss the best part: God is in the business of helping us get things back in order. He is always rebuilding, repairing, restoring, and recentering foundations that have shifted. (I might even guess that He loves a come-back story more than we do!)

Leadership Action: 

• Where do you need a new perspective on an issue? Write it down. Now write down a new way to think about the issue, or a new possible outcome? What does God’s Word say about it?
• Remember, God is in the business of turning what could be considered game-changing struggles into victories and testimonies. Start thanking him for specific moments in your life where He has been faithful. Once you start, I guarantee more and more situations will come to your mind. Don’t stop there…encourage others around you to do this also. In doing so, you will create an environment and culture of thankfulness and confidence that He alone is a solid foundation!