I was thinking about how King David must have felt when THE prophet of his times, Samuel, showed up one day and called him in from keeping all those sheep and, in front of all of his brothers, anointed him as King of Israel. It had to have been an incredible moment for him. One that must have filled his mind with all of the possibilities for his future and the great things that were sure to come. Many, if not all of us, have had a moment like that one. Of course, not a spectacular as being anointed King of Israel, but still, a moment in which our destiny was called out in us. It could have been a compliment from a leader, a prophetic word, or a dream; just something that let us know that we are special, and have a special destiny. When that happens its all we can think about. Our minds just race with all the things that we imagine are going to come!

  What follows? Well his career trajectory did not go straight up for sure. In fact, it got so bad for David in the years that followed this moment that for a time he had to hide his mother and father with an enemy King because King Saul was so murderous toward him. He was chased all over kingdom come for years, and forced to live in caves with some pretty unsavory companions. At one time he fled for refuge to the very country that Goliath, whom he had famously slain, came from! You wonder if he ever believed he was an idiot to let his mind get so full of possibilities that day long ago when Samuel anointed him. 

  But, if he ever did wonder that he did not allow it to get ahold of him. He would not have become the great King David if he had. He held on to the words spoken over him and never let go of the promise he had been given for his destiny. This is faith.

  I recently ran across an atheist website in which someone had posted a blog entry which basically stated that when God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac he was forcing him to choose between obedience to God, and an immoral act. I did something I rarely did and I posted a reply. I explained that the choice was not a moral one. but one based on faith. Isaac being slain was never really in question. Abraham knew that even if God allowed him to go through with the act he would raise Isaac from the Dead. Isaac was not in any danger of being done away with. Abraham knew this because God had promised him descendants from Isaac and that could not happen if Isaac was dead. So, the ultimate well-being of the boy was not in question to Abraham because he believed God’s promise. 

  God allowed His promise to Abraham, that he would have decedents through Isaac, to go the very brink of destruction. This is what happened with King David.The question was, would they still believe the promise when it looked like it was beyond any possible fulfillment? Will you believe your promise when it looks like no one in their right mind ever would?

  I was especially thinking about this today because I found out a friend miscarried a baby that we had prayed into being. At least it felt like we had. She wanted a child, and we prayed. and when she found out she was pregnant it felt like a child of promise. It had God all over it. And then she lost the baby! And so now will we believe the promise? The promise that God answers prayer and gives us the things our heart desires when we follow and love him. Can we trust God? Can we trust Him when it feels like He has given us a destiny that is not working out? When He says He will keep us in all of our ways? This is how the enemy will use the things that don’t turn out like we thought they would. But, faith never wavers.

  Sometimes the promise goes beyond where we think it can ever work out. We think, I must have not heard right, or it must not have been God. But the testimony of scripture is sure, that even when the promise goes to the brink, it will be fulfilled. it was at David’s very lowest moment, when his enemies had taken his city and carried off all of his and his men’s wives and belongings; when his friends had turned on him and wanted to kill him, that the promise to him was being fulfilled. Even at the time the events took place at Ziklag that had to have constituted the worst moment of Davids life, Saul was losing his life in battle. Only a few short hours from the moment when the promise was least likely to have ever been fulfilled, it was. 

  There is something practical that we can learn from David to help us hang on to the truth about God’s faithfulness and the certainty of the promises He has made to us. We see it when we read through the events of David’s life; that he continually turned to God to praise Him, no matter what was going on. He had a habit of praise. A continual speaking out of the greatness of the God he served. He sang it, he spoke it, and so He believed it. Worship God throughout the bad times and speak out the truth about him and your faith will win out over all the doubts and second guessing that goes on in your mind during the hard times.