Big Idea: You can embrace God’s process for your life because He has a plan to make you into the person you were created to be.

 

In these verses, Saul puts himself in a vulnerable position and David has a fantastic opportunity to kill Saul in secret. David’s men encourage him to take it, but he knows it’s wrong, that it’s not his job to end Saul’s life and put David on the throne. He had embraced God’s process for his life and knew God would put him on the throne in His timing. 

 

Four essentials we learn from David in the Cave

  1. Trust the Plan … To trust the plan, we have to know the plan. David knew God’s plan because God had promised him he would be king. Psalm 57 was written by David and further illustrates how he trusted God. Romans 8:28-29 tells us that God works for the good of those who love Him. We can trust that promise. 
  2. Wait with Patience … David was privately anointed 15 years before he was publ;icly anointed. Why? God was still transforming David into the leader he would need to be. We don’t like the wait. It’s why products like the microwave exist. However, patience is one of the keys to not only spiritual growth, but also to living a happy life. 
  3. Resist the Shortcut … David’s men thought this must be a sign from God that it was time for him to be king. But we must remember that not all doors we walk up to are placed there by God. Some are put there as temptations from the devil. We sometimes feel justified in taking a shortcut due to other circumstances. We need to remember that we can’t achieve His purposes by breaking His law. 
  4. Embrace in God’s Love … In Psalm 57, David recounts how, while he was in the cave, he was really taking refuge in God and that God’s love for him reaches as high as the clouds. Sometimes we pray for something we think we want, and God doesn’t give it to us. Why? Because He has something better planned. Because He loves us too much to give us something that’s not actually good for us. 

 

For Further Study/Resources Used by the Pastor to Prepare This Message

  • Great Lives: David: A Man of Passion and Destiny by Chuck Swindoll
  • Preaching the Word Commentary 
  • Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary
  • ESV Expository Commentary
  • New American Commentary