When Waiting is Strategic
Part II
Once more the Philistines came up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim: so David inquired of the Lord, and he answered, "Do not go straight up, but circle around behind and attack them in front of the poplar trees. As soon as you heart the sound of marching in the tops of the poplar trees, move quickly, because that will mean the Lord has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army." So David did as the Lord commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer. (2 Samuel 5: 22-25 NIV)
- Do not go straight up.
- Wait until you hear the Lord.
- When you hear him, move quickly.
Like I said to you on Day 15, waiting is not only purposeful, but strategic. In the focus text we see that David's enemies had come to fight against him, and, as was customary for David, he sought the Lord to know if and how he would defeat them. In essence, David went to the Lord to strengthen his courage and his bravery. He knew that his very breath was in God's hands. He knew he was loved by God so he trusted God with his life, he trusted God with his men, he trusted God for his protection, he trusted God for his battles.
This particular text stood out to me because God didn't just say, "David, you will defeat your enemies." No! God said, "Wait. I will go before you to weaken them. I will attack them first. As I go out ahead of you to weaken the army, then you come, but only when you hear the sound of marching to know I am boldly making my way through the trees to fight those who oppose you." Do you need to stop and take a praise break? If not, you need to read that again!
God isn't just seated on his throne looking into the future saying, "Yes that will happen." or "No that will not happen." The Lord literally comes to this Earth to fight our battles, to defeat our adverse circumstances and to win! But him doing so is conditional. On what? On waiting. On being in position. On not going straight up.
Could you imagine what would have happened if David had not listened? If he had said, "Oh my, it's midnight. I haven't heard the Lord. He must have forgotten me. But look, my men are strong. We shall go up ahead of the Lord and the Lord will catch us up, if indeed he is coming." You want to know what would have happened? Pure bloodshed. David and all of his men would have died in that valley. Why? Because waiting, especially in battle, is strategic.
I don't know if you remember this, but Goliath was a Philistine. He was a giant of a man (literally). He towered over men and was a strong and mighty warrior, but he was not the only one of his kind. "Rephaim" literally means a people of greater than average height or stature (aka giants). And the Philistine army had congregated there...in the Valley of Giants. That is no coincidence dear friends. The Lord, our mighty warrior, bigger and greater than all, marched through the poplar trees to defeat giants.
And guess what? He is doing the same today. God can march through to enter your valleys.God can march through to defeat your giants (pain, lack, security, brokenness, depression). God can march into the camps of your enemies (adversaries, naysayers, haters, your inner self). And God can strike your enemy down. God can strike your giants down. All he asks is that you wait, don't go straight up, listen out for him and then move quickly once you hear him.
To learn more about strategic waiting read the book of Ruth and pay particular attention to chapters 3 and 4.
In love and truth,
Zemi
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