There are things in life that we never expect or never truly want but are relevant in getting where we need to be. The biggest encouragement of David's life that has spoken to me lately is the path that he had to go through not just to build him up as King but to fulfill his purpose as the "man after God's own heart." (Acts 13:22)
1 Samuel 21-31 recounts of David's life when he was "on the run." Imagine 10 chapters of the Bible allocated to a time in David's life when he was devoid of the security and warmth of his friends and family. (And by family, I mean his parents and siblings.)Admit it. This isn't something we plan or foresee as something we'd take along the path to our destiny. And I'm pretty sure "running from King Saul" or a No Permanent Address status was on David's bucket list.
There are two traits I admire most about David - faith and patience. He was so secure on who His God is that He didn't waiver on waiting on His God. Twice already, David had the opportunity of killing Saul. (1 Samuel 24,26) As his companions encouraged, God had delivered his enemy. Once he killed Saul, he would become King and all the running and suffering would be over. However, David knew what would honor His God. He chose not to take the life of the Lord's anointed and wait on God's right timing to place him where he needed to be.
Opportunities. Most of the time, people believe that the most likely and best answer to opportunities is a sure "Yes!" Again, David begs to differ. When David was faced with the opportunity of killing Saul, it just seemed that all the signs were there telling David to just do it, right? Even the people who surrounded him and wanted the best for him were encouraging him to do so. Still, David was so immersed in God's Word. He knew God so well that he knew,even though the action might bring about God's destiny for him, it wasn't what God willed.
So the question is for all of us is this: Is it the right opportunity? Most of the time, we (or maybe just me?) like to ask God for signs. Going back to David's situation, it would seem that the signs were just screaming at him. Maybe it's not really a matter of reading the signs but knowing what would truly honor God.
