The Life of David / Loving Our Enemies | Pastor Matthew McNutt
We’ve all been there. Waiting. Hoping. Wondering why the breakthrough hasn’t come. You’re stuck in a season that feels longer than it should be, and you’re not sure how much more you can take.
David knew that feeling. He was anointed as king but had to wait between 14 to 22 years before he ever wore the crown. Those weren’t quiet, uneventful years either. They were filled with danger, betrayal, running, and hiding. It would’ve been so easy for him to assume God had forgotten. But he didn’t.
Instead, David shows us something powerful: God’s delay isn’t God’s denial. It’s preparation.
1. Trusting God’s Timing Means Letting Go of Control
Unlike Abraham, who tried to speed up God’s plan by having a child with Hagar, David didn’t force his way onto the throne. Even when he had the chance to kill Saul, the current king who was actively trying to end his life, David refused. Why?
Because he trusted that if God had promised, God would deliver.
David’s perspective was grounded in the sovereignty of God. He believed God’s power, not his own strategies, would open the right doors at the right time. That kind of patience isn’t passive—it’s faith in action.
2. God’s Goodness Doesn’t Always Feel Good
It’s easy to trust God when things are going well. But what about when nothing seems to make sense?
David’s journey echoes the truth in Romans 8:28: “We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose.”
That doesn’t mean every outcome will feel good. Paul, the man who wrote those words, was eventually beheaded. Joseph spent years as a slave and prisoner. Abraham waited 25 years for a son. Moses wandered for 40 years. Even Jesus waited 30 years before His public ministry began.
God doesn’t promise an easy life. He promises His presence and His purpose in the pain.
3. God’s Presence in the Pain
One of the most comforting truths in Scripture is found in Romans 8:38-39, where Paul reminds us that nothing can separate us from God’s love—not hardship, not fear, not even death.
David lived like that was true. Through betrayal and exile, he remained confident that God was with him. He wrestled with fear and doubt, but ultimately, his focus returned to the character and promises of God.
And that’s where we find our peace too. Not in the removal of hardship, but in the assurance that God walks through it with us.
4. Waiting Doesn’t Mean Wasting
Those years in caves weren’t wasted. They shaped David into the kind of king God wanted for His people. The struggle refined him.
That might be what’s happening in your life too.
Are you in a season where the relationship hasn’t healed? The diagnosis didn’t change? The door didn’t open? God sees that. He hasn’t forgotten. Your waiting is not in vain.
5. What Should You Do in the Waiting?
Here are two next steps:
- Be Honest with God.
Tell Him how it feels. He can handle your frustration, confusion, and heartbreak. David did this all the time in the Psalms. - Lean on Others.
Text a friend. Talk to someone in your small group. Let others carry your burdens with you. We’re not meant to walk through waiting alone.
6. Focus on What Lasts
David’s eyes weren’t fixed on the throne. They were fixed on God. That’s what kept him grounded when the promise seemed far away.
“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His faithful love endures forever.” – 1 Chronicles 16:34
Even when it doesn’t feel like it, God is working. His love endures. And His timing—though often slower than we’d like—is perfect.
Final Thoughts: You’re in Good Company
If you’re in a season of waiting, you’re not alone. You’re walking the same path as David, Joseph, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus.
The question isn’t whether you’ll wait. The question is: How will you wait?
Will you try to take control? Or will you trust the One who’s writing your story?
David waited faithfully. So can we.