Take These 3 Steps Towards Your Destiny
“He parted the heavens and came down…He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters…He rescued me because He has delighted in me.” PSALM 18:16-19
“Ouch! That hurts!” Eyes scrunched and fists clenched, I fought the urge to reach up and grab the comb from my mother’s hands.
Removing the tangles from my long, blonde hair was unavoidable. But, when I was the one holding the comb for my young daughter, I was so thankful for conditioner!
Unfortunately, our hair isn’t the only thing that needs detangling. Disappointment, loss, and relational conflict can leave knots in our hearts. The root of conflict is unmet expectations. Part of taking care of our souls is learning to release unrealistic or unmet expectations of others and ourselves and trust God as our Source. In Psalm 18, David describes the dangers of finding ourselves tangled up in life.
God asked Samuel to anoint David to succeed Saul as the King of Israel. However, he waited years to assume the throne. The time between the anointing and appointing proved agonizingly difficult. God’s hand on David enraged Saul, who still held the position. Eaten alive by jealousy, Saul hunted David and his ragtag army of 600 men through desert caves and strongholds. David penned the words of this Psalm as he learned to trust God as his Protector. Psalm 18:4 reads,
“The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.”
Wow. David was in serious need of soul conditioner. We may not find ourselves hiding out in a cave, but we often retreat to hiding places in times of trouble. Sometimes, we look to protect ourselves through counterfeit sources of security. We wall our hearts and guard our emotions. We bury our pain under never-ending piles of work. We mask our problems through unhealthy attachments and addictions. Yet, David discovered the secret passageway out of trouble:
“I called to the Lord, I cried to my God for help.”
God always longs for us to call to Him, but especially in times of turmoil. I absolutely love God’s response:
“He parted the heavens and came down…He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters…He rescued me because He has delighted in me.”
He conditions our soul with peace and detangles the knots in our hearts. These three principles and prayers strengthen us during those seasons.
1) Patience
Be patient with yourself and others during the process. Anything worth having takes time. Resist the temptation to become frustrated when progress seems slower than you’d like. We can rest in the promise that God works with us and on us to perfect His image and character in our lives.
Prayer: “God, what do you want me to learn through this?”
2) Persistence
Don’t give up when you find yourself between the anointing and the appointing. His call on our life develops in cooperation with our obedience. Trust God to fulfill His will, His way.
Prayer: “What is one step I can take today?”
3) Perspective.
Seek God’s heart for the knots in your own. A damp, dark cave seems an unlikely place to encounter the presence of God. Yet, God used an unfair and unjust situation to bring about promotion in David’s life. Ask Him to give you an eternal view on a temporary circumstance.
Prayer: “God, how can you receive glory from this?”
David’s obedience was not in vain, and neither is yours. He became King, and God called him a man after His own heart. Look at the conclusion of Psalm 18 in Verse 46:
“The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior! He is the God who avenges me, who subdues nations under me, who saves me from my enemies. You exalted me above my foes; from a violent man you rescued me. Therefore, I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing the praises of your name.”
Our loving heavenly Father can untangle any knot. I can’t promise it won’t hurt a little, but when He is finished, your soul will thank you.
