What do you do in the heat of battle, when your world seems to be coming apart at all ends? Are you overwhelmed by your circumstances and want to give up? Or do you stand firm in the faith that God has given you and refuse to buckle under the pressure?

    David, the future king of Israel, had every reason to quit and walk away, but he refused to do so. He remained true to His calling even though he spent years wondering if he would ever experience the goodness and the fulfillment of God's blessings.

    There was a time in David's life when death stalked him at every turn. Still, he held firm to his faith in God, and the Lord rewarded his obedience and called him, "a man after His own heart." (Acts 13:22) But how did he come to this point, especially when his life was marked by heartache, disappointment, and feelings of extreme loneliness? What molded the heart of David so that his life, even with it flaws, became a symbol of godly devotion?

    For one thing, David's heart was undivided before the Lord. (1 Chronicles 12:33) Regardless of the trouble he faced, he decided as a young man to follow God with a whole heart and not to compromise his devotion to the Lord. It was David's faith and love for God that proved to be a leading characteristic of his life. In Psalm 23, David wrote: "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for Thou art with me . . ."
(v. 4).

    In Psalm 18:2 he writes, "The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. . . . He brought me forth also into a broad place; He rescued me, because He delighted in me" (v. 19). God delighted in David just as He delights in you.

    As a young boy, David spent many hours alone taking care of his father's sheep. These were not wasted moments. Many of the psalms we now read, memorize, and enjoy were written by David during this period of his life. This is when God chose to train his young king. Only the Lord has the ability to take a low-end job and use it to prepare one of His servants for a position in life like none other.

    Are you weary from waiting on God? Maybe you feel as though you are in a dead-end job, and you want to quit. However, before you do this, ask God to make His direction clear to you. When faced with a decision, David often "inquired of the Lord." He wanted to know God's mind so that He could do the Lord's will. Is this a desire of your heart? Do you want to please God or are you seeking only to please yourself? If it is the latter, you will experience much heartache and strife. But if you are seeking to please God, even though your pathway darkens at times, you can be sure God will lead you into His blessings.

    Be patient and faithful in your waiting on God. He has something good in mind for you. David could never have assumed his role as king of Israel had he not learned to wait for God's perfect timing. Even though God directed the prophet Samuel to anoint David as the future king, his reign would not begin immediately. It was years before David took the throne. Even after his victory in battle over the Philistine giant, Goliath, David was met with a stark, cold reality: God was not ready to remove Saul from the throne. In fact, Saul, whom David had helped in battle, became his dire enemy.

    In the end, Saul had devoted years that should have been spent ruling Israel searching for David with the goal of killing him. Saul knew that his self-promoting actions had caused God to withdraw His anointing. God had chosen another to take his place, and David was God's man.

    David never lost sight of His perspective of God. He may have become discouraged, but he never doubted God's goodness toward him. When you find yourself wondering what God is doing in your life, ask Him to help you regain your perspective.

    God has not forgotten you. He is in the process of bringing something beautiful to pass in your life. He knows exactly what it takes to make you into the godly man or woman that He has in mind.

    Even though David loved God greatly, he was not perfect. He was a warrior, and a man easily drawn aside by his passions. Still, he was unflappable in his desire to know and please God. He was a man who was "mighty in spirit" because he did not waiver in his love. Would you like to know David's God? You can. David's closeness to the Lord came as a result of his heart desire to spend time alone with the Lord. This is where spiritual greatness is born -- in the presence of God.

    David's commitment to God was based on who God was and not what he could receive from the Lord. He believed God had a plan for his life, and he was determined to see it become a reality.