The Palace Pt. 2

The palace represents the next step we take, or next goal we meet, as we journey towards seeing the dream God has placed in our heart become a reality. David was anointed to be king, and after he killed Goliath, he was invited to the palace. However, he was not invited to the palace to be the next king, he was invited there to serve the current king. Many times we are in proximity to our dream, we make it to the palace, to the next step, but God has much for us to learn in that place before we truly obtain what He has for us.

The season in the pasture and the season in the palace have in common the principle of serving, and in each season, serving has a different purpose. In the pasture when David was tending his father’s sheep, he was serving and sowing into his character and relationship with God. In the palace, David was serving and sowing towards his future.

We see this demonstrated in David's life when Saul lost God’s favor and a harmful spirit began to torment him. 1 Samuel 16:23 says, “So it came about whenever the evil spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the harp and play it with his hand; and Saul would feel relieved and become well, and the evil spirit would leave him.”  David knew that Saul was not meant to be king anymore, but he did not burst into the palace and say, “God says the throne is mine. I have a right to be here.” Rather, David humbled himself and waited for God to exalt him. Sometimes we might find ourselves in a situation where we see someone occupying the role or position we feel called to, but often God asks us to first sow into that role or position before we can lead from it. Leadership will always require humility and sacrifice, so the palace is where we must learn to serve before we can lead.

David wasn’t just called to the palace to serve. He was also called there to fight. We see this in 1 Samuel 18:5, “And David went into battle wherever Saul sent him, and always achieved success; so Saul put him in charge of the men of war. And it was pleasing in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.” David was not only a shepherd, he was also a warrior. He was sent out again and again to fight the enemies of Israel and in doing so, he gained the love of the people whom he would lead, and also learned about the enemies he would face as king. He learned endurance, he learned battle strategy, and he learned yet again the faithfulness and power of God. The enemy is never going to let us just walk right into what God has for us without a fight. We learn to fight in the palace and God will use that fight to strengthen and prepare us to lead.

“But you, God, shield me on all sides;
You ground my feet, you lift my head high;
With all my might I shout up to God,
His answers thunder from the holy mountain."

Psalm 3:3 (MSG)

When we are in a season of the palace, when we are so close to our dream, we may find ourselves in an intense spiritual battle, or being asked to take a posture of humility. It is in these moments that we can be confident that God sees our efforts, that our sowing is not in vain, and that he is using every moment to prepare us for what He has next. He will ground our feet and lift our head.

The Pasture and the Palace work together to prepare us to receive all that God has for us. Because when that time comes, when He takes us to the final goal, we will need the character created in the pasture and the fortitude forged in the palace. After all, David’s journey didn’t stop when he became king, it had only just begun.

Photograph by Adrien Delforge @adriendlf and use via Unsplash terms of service