Waiting for the Throne

by Andrew Cromwell

The Bible is full of amazing stories that were “written to teach us” (Romans 15:4). One such story is found in the life of King David. David is one of the central characters in Scripture. This incredible piece of history about a shepherd boy who became king happened about about 1,000 years before the time of Christ. 

David was a powerful warrior, a wise king, a faithful friend, and a man who worshipped God with his whole heart. And for all of his wonderful qualities, the Bible also unflinchingly tells the truth about his lesser qualities as well. Among other things, he committed murder, cheated with another man’s wife, disobeyed God, and was a lousy father. There are many lessons to draw from David’s life and if you are not familiar with him, you can read more in the book of 1 Samuel.

The very first time we meet David in Scripture was the day that he was anointed king over Israel. The fly in the ointment of this amazing day was that there was already another king on the throne — King Saul. And so when David is anointed king, it happens secretly. 

It is very clear that God had chosen David to be the next king. He sends a messenger, a prophet named Samuel, to go and anoint David because the current king, Saul, was on his way out.

So as the story goes, they call David in from the fields where he would tend his father’s sheep and goats. Samuel anoints him with oil (which is how you prepared kings for the throne in that day) and the Spirit of the Lord rests upon David. But then instead of taking David to the capital and actually placing him on the throne, Samuel leaves and David heads back to tend the flock.

And for the next 15 years, David waits to become king. 

Fifteen years is a long time between being anointed king and actually taking the throne! If I were David I would be tempted to doubt whether it was really God who had directed Samuel in the first place. I would have given up on the dream of ruling the nation of Israel after maybe year three. But David waits faithfully and he stays close to God and trusts that He is in control. Oh, there are plenty of twists and turns in the story during those years, but it is clear that David made the decision to stay faithful to God through it all.

What lesson can we learn from this? Well, I believe that part of what God does in everyone’s life is to make him or her wait. God has a destiny for each and every person on the planet and He also has great gifts and blessings He wants to pour out on all of His children. But there is always a period of waiting between the time when He reveals what He is going to do in your life (David’s anointing) and Him fulfilling what He promised (David’s taking the throne).

The problem is we don’t like to wait. We push and we pull. We moan and we cry. We throw a fit. We try to force God’s hand and try to make it happen. We get mad at God and complain about our circumstances. And we forget that God is actually at work preparing us to receive the promises He has prepared for us. We want it all right now, but God knows that if He gave it all to us, the blessing would actually be a curse because we aren’t ready for it.

So the next time you have to wait a little while (or fifteen years), don’t forget that God is at work. Remember what Philippians 2:13 says, “for it is God who is at work in you...in order to fulfill His good purpose.”