R.E.A.P. your daily devotions with Linda Bailey

2 Samuel 2.1-3.5

Reference: v. 2.11 The length of time David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.

Explore: David had been made king of Judah but was still at war with the rest of Israel. Now, I’m not clever enough to go through scripture and count the years between rulers (I’m sure some brilliant mind has done that already) but let me put the time line this way: Samuel anointed David to be king in 1 Samuel chapter 16. There are 31 chapters in 1 Samuel and it’s not until chapter 5 in 2nd Samuel that David finally becomes king over all of Israel. In other words, there was a large time gap between when David was anointed to when he finally became king. David showed an incredible amount of patience. As soon as he was anointed king he didn’t rush in a take over. Even after Saul died he took things gradually and didn’t use his confidence in God in a rash and dangerous way.

Application: I wish that I could say that I was as patient as David. I see things that need to be done and just do them straight away. While this is good sometimes, often I tend to rush events that require more delicate timing. This does not mean that I need to doubt God’s purpose on my life. David didn’t question God’s anointing just because it took so long, but he also didn’t get cocky with confidence and just take over when it wasn’t the right time. Big decisions are a fine line between knowing you have God’s unwavering backing and being patient enough to allow God’s timing is always perfect.

Prayer: Lord, in our very ‘instant’ world where if we have enough money we can pay for anything quickly, it’s hard to be patient for that which is truly important. But your time is impeccable and I will strive to work on my patience. Amen.