What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. Psalm 56:3 KJV
Here was David, a young man, anointed to be king in the place of the current king; a young man who had received help from God to defeat the lion and the bear when they came against the sheep he had responsibility for, and in that same strength, had been able to help Israel, a nation he was going to have responsibility for, defeat Goliath, the war champion of the Philistines. He was celebrated by all, even more than the reigning king at the time. You would imagine that a man who has so much favour from God would not have enemies, or even if he did, they could do nothing to make him uncomfortable. This is where expectation meets reality.
Anointing itself is a magnet for tribulation. The fact that I am on a certain assignment for God does not mean that there will be no opposition. It will be a lie of the devil for me to hold on to the fact that the devil cannot oppose that which God has ordained. It is the devil's prerogative to try and fight God's plan; the main difference is that he cannot prevent the plan from materialising, but he will surely try. It is that trying that may sometimes lead to fear, when you are not sure of what is going on or what is ahead or why things are happening the way they are. In those times, the anchor for the soul must be the assurance of God's presence that you must have secured long before the tough times come. I cannot wait until the storm comes before I seek help and guidance. I have to first secure my relationship with God so that when the storms rise, they meet me in God.
Those times of fear are coming. At no time did God ever promise a smooth sail. It is said that ship captains earn their stars when they have overcome storms at sea and are able to navigate home. The more you conquer, the better you get and the higher the recognition. It does not mean that the storms will stop once you are recognised, but you would have built capacity to address the storms, and now know what to do. That is the power of experience. God allows these things to happen so that I can build capacity. He allows me to experience pain so that I can appreciate the pleasures of his presence. Whatever he allows to come my way is prescribed to bring out the best in me. He is like a doctor and pharmacist; fully aware of both the diagnosis and the treatment. He designs the course, plans the journey, knows what is fit for each stage and then supplies mercy that is appropriate for every stage, so that through the entire journey, he is fully aware of what is appropriate for the times and seasons I am in. That is precious.
My reaction in those tough times matters too. David here made up his mind to trust in God. I cannot assume here; not everyone will come to the same conclusion that David came to. Problems have a way of either pushing you to run to God or away from him. You never know until you have first sorted out your heart's pursuits and priorities. Whatever your heart feeds on defines what it will produce when a demand is made on it. You cannot give what you don't have. You can't fake it until you are able to flaunt it.
Fear does not respect anointing. It will still threaten, but at least, when it comes, it must meet faith and trust in God in your heart, and since it cannot find a resting place in your heart, it will have to leave. But it will not rest or retire; it will keep coming back, hoping it will find space in your heart one day. I must keep up the daily feeding of faith, so that there is never any room for fear. For David, we know how his life's story went. God did mighty things in and through him, and we read of them today. God can do the same for me, if I am able to hold on to him in faith and never let go, no matter what he brings or allows. That is trust and that is what God rewards. His time of favour is here.
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