Find Joy In Today

September 17, 2024 – By Lori Benka

Have you ever felt like God is calling you to do something only to have the road to your destination filled with seemingly closed doors?

I can’t begin to tell you how many times I have faced this scenario in my own life. Even now, my husband and I feel led to do a homeless ministry. He will be ministering to the homeless and I will raise the funds to support this desperately needed ministry. The desire burns within us, but the doors still remain shut. We know God told us to do this, but the waiting has been so long and hard.

Even though we have received the vision from God, the doubting questions still resonate in the back of our minds…..”Did we hear correctly?, Did we somehow miss the mark?, Is this all there is? Is this our will or God’s will?” And sometimes the occasional “I feel like giving up” thought will peer its ugly head.

King David’s Time of Transition

There is a very popular person in the Bible who faced a long waiting season between his appointment and his promotion. (Actually, there are quite a few, but I will just touch on one.)

We all are familiar with King David in the Bible. His stories have been embedded in our memory since our childhood Sunday School classes. David was anointed to become king by Samuel when he was very young. Some scholars believe he was between the ages of 10-15 years old. He became king when he was around 30 years old. Even though David had to wait, God was in full control of his life and working behind the scenes.

You may be going through a waiting season right now. God has given you a promise but you are ready to abort the promise because the waiting has been very hard and long. Weariness and hopelessness have overtaken you. I believe God is saying to you today, “don’t give up on your dream.” The same God who was at work in David’s life is the same God working in your life. If God has given you a promise, He will bring it to pass in His timing.

After David was anointed to be the future king of Israel, the Spirit of the Lord fell mightily upon him. The same Spirit departed from King Saul and a distressing spirit sent from the Lord came upon him and caused him great distress and depression. King Saul often felt as if he was going to lose his mind. His officials urgently persuaded him to send for someone who can play skillfully on the harp to help quiet Saul’s torment. 1 Samuel 16:18 says:

“Look, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and the Lord is with him.”

What is Your Response to the Transition

What a resume David already had for himself. At a young age, God’s favor reigned upon David.

How are you known to people during your waiting or “in between” period? Do you have the qualities of David, or are you impatient, full of complaint, and trying to get things done in your own strength?

The Bible says that King Saul sent for David and asked for him to come to the palace. I’m sure David must have wondered if this was his appointed time to become king over Israel. The excitement that must have filled his young mind was probably explosive. But, we all know from the story that this was not David’s appointed time, but a start of his preparation process.

David would go back and forth between the palace and his home while he was needed by King Saul. During this time we read in 1 Samuel 16:21 that Saul loved David greatly.

David was able to learn the ways of the kingdom and he learned how to wait on God’s timing.

David had to face many hardships before he would become king. The man who greatly loved David would soon become very jealous of David and want him dead. Every time it seemed like David was gaining victory, something else would go wrong.

Psalm 56

I’m sure David questioned if he really was the chosen king. We can hear his most intimate utterances in the book of Psalm. He suffered much on his road of preparation. The most important lesson David had to learn during these trying times was to trust in God’s ability and God’s timing. Pslam 56 was penned during this dark time in David’s life:

“Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me; all day long an attacker oppresses me; my enemies trample on me all day long, for many attack me proudly. When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me? All day long they injure my cause; all their thoughts are against me for evil. They stir up strife, they lurk; they watch my steps, as they have waited for my life. For their crime will they escape? In wrath cast down the peoples, O God! You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book? Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call. This I know, that God is for me. In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? I must perform my vows to you, O God; I will render thank offerings to you. For you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living.”

Don’t Get Ahead Of God in Your Transition

David had to be very careful not to get ahead of God. We, too, need to always make sure we are listening to the still, small voice of our Father. We need to trust that He has every detail of our lives in perfect order.

There have been moments in my own life, and I’m sure yours as well, when I got ahead of God and it ended disastrously. One such instance was when I nearly married the wrong person. Because I didn’t want to be alone, I wasn’t listening to the still, small voice of God telling me to leave the relationship. Even though I knew deep down he wasn’t the one for me, I pursued the relationship anyway.

Eventually, after much heartache, I did end the relationship and found my loving, supportive husband whom I love with all my heart.

More often than not, God will give you a dream or a vision and you will have times of movement in the right direction only to see it short-lived. Your sight may become clouded as you ponder what is happening. Many times, you will go back and forth from where you are to where you are going until the time is ready for you to take your place of appointment.

This is the training season of your life. Don’t lose hope and don’t lose heart during this season. This is a time where God is preparing you to be elevated. Your promotion is on its way. Stay humble and ready. Zechariah 4:10 says:

“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.”

Conclusion

God wants to see you promoted just as much as you want your dream to come true. Everything you are doing right now is not being done in vain. God see’s you and is developing you into the person He created you to be. You are being prepared to move on to your destiny. Learn how to discern God’s voice and begin to see His suttle movement all around you. Promotion comes from God and it is done in God’s timing. You are exactly where you are supposed to be during this season of your life.

Allow the transition from where you are to where you are going be easier by listening to God and allowing Him to direct your steps. God is faithful to fulfill His promises.

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