Details. You either love them or hate them. When it comes to daily tasks, details can be a bit overwhelming when you are trying to figure out the minutest specifics of all that needs to be done.
Yet, when it comes to our future, especially regarding its outcome, details can be beneficial in planning and preparing. Our hopes are to receive a favorable ending to our story. And while details help us along toward specific goals in the natural world, when it comes to our spiritual walk, specific details of every move we make or every journey we walk through aren’t often given to us.
Take the story of Joseph, for instance. He was next to the next-to-youngest of twelve exceptional boys born to Jacob. Exceptional because they would become known later as the twelve tribes of Israel.
Being the firstborn of Rachel (the woman whom Jacob loved and willingly worked for to marry), Joseph received favors and preferential treatment from his father. If the evidence of his being treated favorably wasn’t there before, surely the multi-colored coat given to him signaled it loud and clear.
Joseph was not only unique in being Rachel’s firstborn and Daddy’s favorite. He was also blessed with a special gift revolving around dreams. Unfortunately for him, this gifting led to acquiring ire from his older brothers, who were more than likely already miffed at his exalted treatment.
This, in turn, provoked a plan of deception that would rid them of their problem with this bothersome brother. Deviating from killing him because their hatred so stirred them, they sold him into slavery.
There, his story pans out over several years of slavery, work, favor, and imprisonment. It seemed that when Joseph tried to do right, he was rewarded with lies, accusations, and being forgotten by those he helped. But while he was doing right and being a help to others, God was working behind the scenes to bring his story to a successful conclusion.
God was marching Joseph forward, unknown to himself, to the place of his maximum usefulness for that era. Whether it is readily apparent or not, God was with him even in a place where he may have felt alone, forgotten, and abandoned.
The details we see before us are obvious. They are obvious because they are visible. But like Joseph, our stories have more layers to them than just what the eye can see or human reasoning can understand.
In Genesis 39:2, we read, “And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.”
In Genesis 39:21, it tells us, “But the Lord was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.”
And in the New Testament we are told, “And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him” (Acts 7:9).
Joseph lived his life in an honorable manner. He did not have the benefit of Scripture that would let him know that everything was going to work out in his favor; that the LORD was with him in the unseen details.
But He was. And God is with us also. Numerous times Scripture reminds us of this beautiful fact:
“When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee…” Isaiah 43:2
“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God…” Isaiah 41:10
“… I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” Matthew 28:20
“… the upright shall dwell in thy presence.” Psalm 140:13
“And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.” 1 John 4:16, and so many more.
In the extraordinary moves of life, we may readily point out, “God is with me!” But what His word assures us of is that in those moments where we cannot easily feel Him or understand the hardness of the situation we are dealing with, He is there.
Joseph’s story shares this truth with us, as well as Job’s, and many others who endured hardship, suffered trials, fought battles, and more.
But even when you can’t see how God is working things out behind the scenes, know that He is. What may not be apparent in details to others or even to you is clear before God, who knows the beginning from the end.
He has a plan for you (Jeremiah 29:11). Just keep living honorably and in faith. Grab hold of the truth of Scripture laden with the promise of His presence, and believe, “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).
In the end, Joseph, who was sold, accused, and forgotten, was elevated to the second-highest position in the land. I can’t promise your story will end with such exaltation. But what I can tell you is that no matter how your story unfolds, keep your faith in God, not in the details you can see, and know that in the end, God can make it work for good (Romans 8:28).
Your behind-the-scenes success is in God. Trust Him even when the details aren’t apparent.
You have welcomed us into Your throne room. You have welcomed us into Your grace. You have welcomed us into Your pleasure. You have welcomed us before Your face.
No scepter for Esther needs to extend. For the cross has bought the passage within.
In the courts of the King, we are invited to come. Favor has blessed us through His dear Son.
To approach and pray without fear or doubt. Worries, burdens, and troubles are there, cast out.
Queen Esther, taking her life in her hands, went before the king not knowing if she would find favor to enter the courts for him to hear her petition (Esther 4:16; 5:2).
Not so with our Heavenly Father. Through Jesus Christ, we have obtained a welcome invitation to come: “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need,” Hebrews 4:16.
With no fear in your heart, come, for you are welcomed before the King of all Kings.
“And it shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall advance quickly. For then the Lord will go out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.” 2 Samuel 5:24, NKJV
Have you ever seen one of those action movies where the characters involved in a grand scheme or plan must synchronize their watches to ensure everyone is moving at the right time?
When a big feat is to take place, it is good to make sure everyone is on the same page and moving at the proper time.
That’s what proper planning does. It views the many angles of the story, not just the present or temporary moments, but all the moments included, and it determines when the best time is to do A, B, or C.
On the opposite end of this spectrum is impulsiveness. It doesn’t always take every matter into account and consider all the possibilities. It tends to move forward hastily, and sometimes prematurely.
Sometimes it is hard to determine the difference between impulsiveness, instincts, and zeal, but there is a difference.
When David finally became king, not just recognized as king in Hebron, but over all Israel (2 Samuel 5:1-3), there were still yet contentions he faced, including their long-time enemy, the Philistines.
If you will remember, David had great success as a youth in slaying their most prominent warrior, Goliath (1 Samuel 17). But during the time between that battle and the one facing the Philistines here in 2 Samuel 5, David experienced many other inner and outer battles along the way.
In that, he grew not only in stature but in ability. Through his fearlessness, faith, and fervor, he became a much-feared warrior and king.
But David didn’t allow his previous accomplishments to cause him to rest on his laurels.
There were still battles to fight and enemies to conquer, so David pursued and engaged – but not without God’s guidance.
He could have chalked up his previous victories as the all-encompassing plan to win all his battles, but he didn’t.
And that’s a good thing because, with each battle he faced God gave him different directions on how to gain a successful ending.
Here in chapter 5, in one battle David was instructed to “go up” (v. 19), and in the other, he was told to “circle around behind them, and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees. And it shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall advance quickly. For then the Lord will go out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines” (Vv. 23, 24, NKJV; emphasis added).
This was going to be the battle of battles with the Philistines. After this event, they would no longer be a threat to Israel. But to get there, David had to wait for the right time.
Back to our opening illustration of synchronization, time is everything. But the caveat to that is, that the way we view time and the way God views time is vastly different (2 Peter 3:8).
Twice in verse 24, you see the word “then,” with God giving specific instructions on when David is to make his move. Any time outside the premise of that “then,” was not his moment to advance.
If David wanted to ensure success, he had to synchronize his move with God’s “then,” with God’s timing.
While zeal, fervor, and experience are great, if it’s out of alignment with God’s moment to progress, it won’t work.
Our God works specifically and in order. And more often than not, His design will not be on our timetable.
As infinite as He is, so are His plans and abilities, and through it all, taking the omniscient view of our lives, He knows when, where, and how something should be done.
But it is when we fight with impatience and frustration, when we can’t see it moving or how it will turn out, we find ourselves in precarious situations or wanting to give up altogether.
We don’t want “then,” we want now!
Instant victory. Instant gratification. And instant applause and promotion.
But when we pause at the “then” moments, we are simultaneously taking that occasion to learn how God is leading and giving Him room to work.
Listen for the sound of God’s moving.
This was David’s experience. Not until he heard the marching in the tops of the mulberry trees was it safe for him to proceed regardless of his personal abilities or how he previously won battles.
My friend, God has a specific plan for you. One drawn up and orchestrated out of His divine love. Do not rush ahead of God. He has an appointed time for everything (Ecclesiastes 3:1; Habakkuk 2:3).
Learning to wait for your “then” moments requires trust which is why Proverbs famously reminds us to “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5,6).
We will never have the full understanding God does for our lives (Isaiah 55:8,9), but what we can have is our trust and belief that He is perfect, His ways are perfect, and God knows what He is doing.
I don’t know what marching in the tops of mulberry trees audibly sounds like, but I do know what it sounds like in our lives of faith: waiting.
Waiting, patience, and being still when everything says go is hard. But if that going is not marked by God’s stamp of approval, it will all be for nothing.
And if you are longing for me to give you specifics or signs or systems to find out how to know when your “then” moment is, I can’t.
Our Heavenly Father has a perfect timeline for everyone’s life, and He only can tell you when it’s your time to advance.
In the meantime, you may have to do one of the hardest things – continue to wait, continue to have patience, and continue to be still.
In these moments of not going, let them be filled with the activity of seeking God, seeking His face and His perfect will for your life. Let them be filled with drawing ever nearer to His presence and learning to recognize and become more familiar with His moving in your own life.
Then, when you figuratively hear the marching in the tops of the mulberry trees (or by whatever means that you beyond a shadow of a doubt know it’s God’s prompting and leading you), you will know that your time has come, and you can advance forward successfully.
That second “then” assured David that by following God’s way, He was the one going before him. And whatever we are doing, above all else, this is how we should want to win our victories: following God’s ways and Him going with us.
“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” Jeremiah 29:11
Winners and success stories, how often do we study their lives, habits, and choices to open a window to the possibility of implementing something in our lives that will benefit us.
Unfortunately, as the case usually goes, many examples come from a different direction or perspective in which we view life or in the course we want to take. Therefore, we will glean our lesson from the trusted source of God’s Word.
With that, we will look closely at the old familiar story of David versus Goliath. At the beginning of this story, the prospective winner has already been determined in the minds of those on both sides who attended that battle, and David is not their choice for a victor.
When Goliath was viewed, the world saw in him what they considered to be the ideal champion. They took into consideration his height, strength, weapons, and experience at war (1 Samuel 17:4-7, 33) and made what they thought was an accurate determination.
But across the Elah Valley, there was one whose stature and outward appearance weren’t as impressive, at least not to those who had drawn up for the standoff. He was considered meddlesome and nosy by even his brother (v. 28), too small and inexperienced for the fight.
What they did not consider was the unflinching faith David possessed on the inside. What they could not see about David was what marked him as a true champion for that time, and ages to come.
David possessed an uncommon confidence. (Vv. 23-32)
What do I mean by uncommon confidence? It really is as simple as it sounds. David’s character produced in him the ability to believe, to have an assurance that could not be matched by those around him. It is what caused him to stand out as someone uniquely special among the thousands gathered.
Taking the scene in perspective, daily the Israelites were challenged in their own faith through the tool named Goliath. As warriors dotted the landscape, when this massive man appeared, the men of Israel disappeared.
Physically they believed that they were no match to compete and win against this giant.
David, on the other hand, cared not for the man’s size or boast. His disdain for him was voiced when he said, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (v. 26).
There was no flinching or fear in his actions or voice. He was 100% ready to confront this enemy and be done with him and his army: “And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine” (v. 32).
It takes an uncommon, extraordinary faith to see something or someone so big and choose to not focus on it.
David saw the same thing those around him saw, but he chose to process what he saw through a different filter: faith.
As the rest cowered in fear, David stepped up and offered to do what no one else, not even the king, was willing to do.
Foolhardy youth? No.
The seed of faith planted in him grew greater than any fear this foe hoped to instill. David knew who he belonged to, and he knew who he served.
Uncommon confidence bypasses the scene before one’s eyes and focuses on Who is really in charge.
David refuses the voice of doubt. (Vv. 33-37)
It is always your choice what you will allow in your hearing and your heart.
Doubt will speak if you give it a voice. Open the door just a little, and it will consume the whole room.
When David stated his declaration to fight the giant, the very next words he heard were, “Thou art not able…” (v. 33).
Talk about letting the air out of the balloon. But words such as these people hear all the time. Even if they don’t present themselves in the same wording, the idea arises to discourage and draw one’s attention to the can’t’s of life: you can’t do this because…, you are not able due to …
These “can’t” phrases can rob you of the hope to push past what you see, and if David had allowed, Saul’s words would have done just that and prohibited his progress against this enemy.
But David refused. Instead of words of improbability and fear, he leaned on his experience with God, which he already had (vv. 34-37).
David had been delivered by God through unbelievable situations before when encountering a bear and a lion. Both animals, I dare say, would even put Goliath to flight had he come upon them.
Ferocious as they were, they, nor Goliath, can outmatch God. David knew that God was the one who delivered him before, and He believed with his whole heart that He would do it again.
David refuses to fight like others fought. (Vv. 38-46)
Experience is a great teacher and there are things we can learn from the wisdom of others who have fought the battles of this life before us.
But Saul was at a standstill in his faith. Not only did he lack it in the progression toward Goliath, but also in the way he expected David to fight.
He wanted David to wear something that wasn’t designed for him.
David wasn’t built like Saul – not in body or belief. So, he couldn’t fight like Saul would fight.
God has blessed each of us with our own unique style and gifts to carry forth in faith. God knows each one individually and has blessed each one with individuality.
The way He chooses to work in or through another should not cause us to neglect what He has placed in us.
This is a strong part of the faith lesson.
David could have shrunk back in comparison because he did not fit Saul’s design, but he didn’t. He worked what God gave him, how God gave it to him.
Comparing our abilities against the line of another’s calling will not only diminish your faith, but it can bring you to a total standstill as it did Saul.
Devoid of armor not fit for him, David, with stones in his hand, pronounced with faith to the Philistine: “Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied” (v. 45).
When David stepped on that battlefield, the real weapon he stepped up with was not found in his hand, but in his heart. It was a faith that Saul and the rest of Israel’s army lacked in their arsenal.
That’s why we can’t compare; it’s always the part of the fight that we cannot see that matters the most: the inside part.
David’s faith takes a stand and believes in God’s deliverance. (Vv. 46-48).
Jesus once spoke in rebuke to the Pharisees, saying, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (Matthew 12:34), and Proverbs instructs, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” (4:23).
Those in the camp of the Israelites, their hearts were cowered in fear. But David’s heart brought him face to face with Goliath.
Unflinchingly, he took a stand, but he didn’t take a stand on his own merit. He took his stand based on what he believed in his heart about God: He is faithful.
David said, “This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hands” (Vv. 46-47).
In David’s heart, he knew this was not about him or what he could bring to the fight. “The battle is the LORD’s!”
Our hearts are considered to be the very center of our being. And in that center, David made sure God was the center.
In his life and in his fight, not himself, his circumstances, wants or desires were brought to the forefront. No, but the Lord God Almighty was his focal point.
Are we moving forward with hesitant steps because God is not the center of our progress?
True faith will always be a heart issue. With that, he moved forth in complete confidence: “David hastened, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine” (v. 48).
Where others hesitated, David quickened his steps – again, with no backing down. His heart would not accept decrease, but it seemed at every avenue he traveled in his life, his heart of faith grew more and more because he sought to put God in the center more and more.
David used his personal gifting. (Vv. 49-50)
Earlier we discussed David refusing armor that was not fit for him. Here, we focus on what is.
David had a unique way that he would face his giant, and it was going to be by using something small and seemingly insignificant.
Many struggle with their individual giftings. Compared to others, it may not seem big enough, influential enough, or polished enough. “If I could just _______, I would be able to _______” (you fill in the blank).
Every believer is gifted by God. But every believer may be gifted differently. When David stepped out with his little stones, I wondered what the onlookers thought.
To him, it didn’t matter. What mattered was being himself before God. This was his design. This was his gift. This is what he knew how to do well.
In a world surrounded by trends and social media, it takes bravery to be yourself. You will never succeed at being anyone but you.
Use what God gave you in faith, no matter how small it appears, and leave the results to Him.
Faith wins. (v. 51)
Little David slew the big giant. Not because he was smarter or stronger, but because every step he took in the process was a step of faith.
When any questioning arose or doubt was uttered, David continued forth in faith. He never gave the space of his heart permission to think about or adhere to anything else.
Some of our favorite faith verses remind us that: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1), and “Without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).
Together, these tell us what faith is and what faith does: it goes on and believes God regardless of what is seen or not seen. And that’s what David did. He didn’t have faith, which was just talked about. His faith moved him into action to do something despite how the circumstances appeared.
Father God is in the business of stretching our faith. Bringing us to places or before situations we may view as strange, unimaginable tasks to conquer. He has something He wants to fulfill on the other side of that stretching moment but we, like David, must commit to the follow through in faith.
Faith is the access key to everything God wants to do in our lives.
Is your faith being stirred for more today? What are some hindrances to growing your personal faith?
Walking in faith and choosing to follow God by faith will carry you further than your own plans ever will.
But don’t be surprised if the victory you are anticipating comes in a way that you least expect it. Often God’s view of how something is or is to be will look much different than our own.
Nevertheless, David felt prompted to move on God’s behalf because of his sold-out relationship with God. He approached Goliath with an all-in attitude.
Retreating was never an option in his book. And even though David would go on to face other challenges (such as being on the run from King Saul), he still had space in his heart and repertoire to pen the words that would encourage himself and many hearts through fearsome trials, saying, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1).
That is faith language at its best. But remember, David backed his talk up with action. He lived a life operating with an all-in faith and you can, too.
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