God’s Heart = God’s Timing
“After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’ “ - Acts 13:22 NIV
In 1 Samuel chapter 24, we come upon a situation where David and his men find themselves with an opportunity to strike down Saul. David, aware that he was destined to be king, also knew that Saul was on a mission to end his life. The circumstance was the perfect opportunity to eliminate Saul, to step into God's prophecy and seize the throne. But David knew that was not God’s way. God’s word was not for him to kill Saul, for him to attack Saul, for him to take the throne this way. And so, David said, “No.” He persuaded his men, “Don’t attack Saul. We’re not going to attack Saul.” They let Saul proceed unharmed. We, too, can be tempted to wrest control of situations in our own hands. But we need wisdom and patience to synchronize our steps with the Spirit and follow God's Word.
David comprehended that if God anointed and chose him to be king of Israel, it would come to pass according to God's design. We often hear that David was a man after God's own heart, and it rings true. The question that often puzzled me was, "weren't all the heroes we read about in the Bible pursuing God's heart as well?" The answer is yes, but David stood out because he understood the timing of God and the certainty of His promises. He trusted that God is never late to fulfil His word.
I have to share a personal testimony: My family and I run an orphanage with 29 children in the Democratic Republic of Congo. God beckoned us to this great work by inspiring my mother a decade ago to begin the process. It's no secret that making swift changes in third-world countries is challenging, but since God had commanded it, we followed His lead. Since leaving the DRC at a young age, my first return was in July 2021. The trip was successful as we collaborated with a local ministry and laid the groundwork. However, spiritual warfare is REAL!
The day before we departed, I narrowly escaped a car barreling towards me at a fast pace while I was helping to push another car off the road. I brushed off this incident, considering it trivial. In January the following year, we returned to the DRC to continue our project and provide more assistance. However, a catastrophic car accident occurred during the second week. Despite the palpable spiritual warfare that morning, we prayed fervently and ventured out.
It was beautiful day as we got to hire 50 widows to help with the kids and agriculture crops. We hired a family that was sleeping outside to stay on the property to help watch. Things were moving when we got a call that the pastor of the ministry we were connected with had his car broken down. On our way back to the hotel we stopped where he was at to give him a ride. That area where the car broke down was around a lot of witch doctors and we saw them doing their rituals. It was 9pm at night and literally 10 minutes after we left; I saw a jeep coming full speed and ran into a van which then both cars come my way and crash into the passenger’s seat. We get directly hit and end up on the other side of the road almost perfectly parked. The van that got hit had 15 passengers and they ended up right next to us. The Jeep that caused everything to happen tried to run away but ended up getting caught. My family, the pastor, and I were okay but had to go to the hospital. My mother ended up with a dislocated shoulder so we thought. With pain going through her body; my mother wanted to continue the trip because The Lord called us to it.
I started to question God and his calling for our lives and what were supposed to do with all this. At my lowest point in my life, feeling depressed and contemplating the worth of life, God spoke to me through a young girl's joy upon receiving a pair of sandals from me. It reminded me that even small acts of kindness, like giving someone a drink of water, were fulfilling God's will. God also reminded me that if the mission was for my personal glory, I would quit and pursue the American dream, but if it was for His glory, I would persevere.
What plunged me into despair was my impatience, my insistence on doing things on my timetable rather than God's. Fast forward to the present, the orphanage home is about 75% complete, and we anticipate hosting 40 children once it's finished. Praise God!
Going back to Saul, who started building monuments to himself because of his victories. Saul couldn't wait for God's timing, so he took matters into his own hands and fell out of God’s will and anointing. David, on the other hand, understood that God’s timing is always right.
May the Lord give us the grace to become people after his own heart, who trust God even when His timing isn’t what we want.
- Joel Engulu