Blessings to you all!!!!
2nd Samuel chapter 5.
Some phrases or words that stuck out to me were:
- “David became more powerful because the Lord was with him.”
- “David inquired of the Lord.” And “David inquired of the Lord” a second time.
- “So David did as the Lord commanded him.”
Knowing God is with us is knowing that we can trust him in any or every situation we find ourselves in.
David became “More Powerful” because the Lord was with him. “More Powerful” for David meant becoming King over Israel and Judah and being victorious in wars.
Knowing God is with me, means I can become “More Powerful” but “More Powerful” may mean something completely different.
MORE POWERFUL for me may not mean I'll become the best executive director of a camp. Or best worker at a workplace, it doesn't mean I'll become successful in whatever business I go after. More Powerful to me, as I see it, means I become a man of more faith where I trust God when things are going really well and I trust God when things seem to be falling apart all around me. More Powerful is being obedient at times it seems totally stupid to be obedient because it doesn't make logical sense. God's plans are different for each person so we can't assume because one person of faith became RICH and WISE that I'll become Rich and WISE. Such teachings only give a false representation of who God is and results in people walking away from the faith because they didn't become what they saw others become.
In reality, I feel we need to focus on More Powerful as the ability to walk in faith, trust God more, and be obedient regardless of the life circumstances surrounding us.
I like Pastor Blair’s point of focusing on “More Powerful” as the ability to walk in faith, trust God more, and be obedient regardless of the life circumstances surrounding us. I was thinking about the process of becoming king for David and how long it took for him from the time that he was anointed by Samuel until the time that he actually sat on the throne. It certainly didn’t happen overnight, but instead it was a long journey for him. There were some people who wanted David to take shortcuts along the way such as by killing Saul and speeding things up, but that wasn’t God’s plan. David chose to trust God and trust God’s timing. That may not have always been easy just as it may not always be easy for us to choose to be patient, but David made the right choice by waiting. We live with modern conveniences in a world today that promises instant gratification, but I think that there’s much that we can learn from David and waiting for God’s perfect timing in our lives.
Check out Psalm 37:34.
“Wait for the Lord and keep His way, and He will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on when the wicked are cut off.”
Blair and Jim both of your insights give me a clearer picture into this chapter. Jim, I agree that David had a long road to the throne, and he drew his strength from the Lord. Each time he called out to the Lord and obeyed Him, he grew more powerful towards the purpose and plan God had set forth for him. Blair I also agree that sometimes our visions for what it means to be powerful because we have God in our lives does not always match the plan God has for us. We can find strength and power in waiting for God’s timing in our lives.