Waiting

This message is not for the discouraged. This is for those who do the discouraging.

Before the next time comes when you feel the need to "set someone straight" or "bring them down to earth," you need to think about this:

One of my favorite kings in history was anointed king likely between the ages of 13 and 15 (1 Sam 16:1-13). He did not become king until he was 30 (2 Sam 5:4). That is 15 years of struggle, doubt and hope followed by hopelessness. That is 15 years of being doubted, discouraged and called a traitor. 15 years of fighting battles no one sees, acting like a crazy person and questioning. 15 mixed years of serving a mad king, fighting for a mad king and running from that same mad king bent on his destruction. 15 years of people calling you a liar, telling you that it will never happen, calling the old man who anointed you "crazy." This probably included family and friends. 15 years of hiding in caves and wondering if this is his lot in life.

However; it was 15 years of honing his leadership, nurturing his skills as a warrior and building his character. 15 years of endurance, tears and most importantly faithfulness. Faithfulness to what he was made to be, faithfulness to those he lead and most of all, faithfulness to his God.

The book of Samuel talks about David's Mighty Men (2 Sam 23). These were the guys who believed in, bled with and fought for David. They may have doubted, they may have wanted to get him the kingdom in the wrong way, but they were there, sitting beside him in a cave helping him to believe.

So the next time you want to stand over someone and get them to be "realistic," take a moment to decide if you want to "fix" someone because of your insecurities or if you want to be a mighty man or woman for them.

In my years of ministry, I have found few things as powerful, encouraging and needed as someone who sits next to you and tells you that they will believe with you.