I Believe In You

I would stumble upon the scripture, actually.
But it’s the way that God works… the way He often speaks to this stubborn heart of mine.

2 Samuel 5.
David becomes King of Israel.
It was a promise made to him by God through the words of the prophet, Samuel, some 20 years earlier.  The promise that came to him as a boy, serving as a Shepherd in his father’s fields… the promise that remained upon his life through the tumultuous reign of his forerunner, Saul… was now coming to fruition.

In verse 2 we read it.. the words of encouragement by the tribes of Israel, “In the past, when Saul was our king, you were the one who really led the forces of Israel.  And the Lord told you, ‘You will be the shepherd of My people, Israel.  You will be Israel’s leader.’”

I love these words.
Because they are life-giving.  They are encouraging.  They are reassuring and hopeful.

“You are the one who REALLY led the forces of Israel.”
They recognized the goodness in David.  And they were pulling it out.

The task at hand was a difficult assignment.
The succession of a defiled king was on the list of disadvantages.
But God allowed him a cheering section for his success.

“And the Lord told you, ‘You will be the shepherd of My people…”
They remembered the call on David’s life.
And they reminded David of it too.

It’s as if they were saying this, “David…we recognize that it was you all along.  We realize now that it was actually your leadership that we’ve experienced.  The divine promise over your life is special, and we are aware of God’s selection and approve you as our king!”
What powerful words to speak over an appointed leader.  A would-be king.  God’s chosen one.

And I wonder how differently things might be if we adopted the same language for those in leadership over us… if we dared to take on the same posture of recognition and reverence of those whom God had called.

The truth really is that we ALL need people who believe in us.
We all need people who champion us on to greatness.
We all need an assembly of encouragers who remind us who we are and why we should keep moving forward in our assignment.

And when nobody believes… everyone suffers.
The people - who remain deficient of a dependable chief.
The leader - who lacks confidence in their ability to deliver on the promise.

Because we ALL need people who spur us on.
We ALL need people who pull out the best in us.
We ALL need people who speak life and create opportunities within us to develop and become all God created us to be.

Today, may we choose to speak positive, assuredness, certainty, and love.
It may mean all the difference in the success and victory of everyone.