Leadership from Strength to Strength

UV 1486/10,000 Leadership from Strength to Strength
Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David: but David waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker
2 Samuel 3 v 1
David had an intimate and personal relationship with the Lord while Saul had distanced himself. Saul departed from the Lord who had chosen and anointed him. Saul was afflicted with the spirit of jealousy against David. Ever since the people hailed David as greater than Saul, he sought to take the life of David. But since the Lord was with David, He preserved his life against all the attempts of Saul to have him killed. David had a humble beginning but his end was great. God had chosen and anointed him. He remained faithful to the Lord. The Lord made David stronger and stronger while Saul became weaker and weaker. The weapons and strategies forged by Saul against David just did not seem to prosper.

True leadership’s trajectory is not like that of a meteor, burning brightly only to burn out. It increases from strength to strength. A leader who relies on the Lord for grace will go from strength to strength. Each trouble, trial or challenge will not exhaust him but becomes instrumental to move him to the next level of intimacy with the Lord, of faith, of strength, power and influence, of righteousness and integrity. He will not see decline in his powers. Setbacks if any will be momentary or temporary. He will bounce back with increased vigour and confidence. He will experience struggles but will have triumph in the end. Even as he struggles or fights, the Lord will fill him with his joy and power. Doing God’s will or what delights the Lord gives him both joy and strength. It is written in the Word that the path of the righteous gets brighter as they go. In contrast, the path of the wicked is filled with darkness and they do not know over what they will stumble. The path that David travelled on was lit with the precepts and the presence of the Lord. He desired to be just in the eyes of the Lord. Even when he fell, he repented and avoided that error again in his life. God delivered Saul into his hands but David did not chose to lay his hand upon a king who had been once anointed by the Lord. He thereby showed his fear of God.

David is not a solitary example of the anointed of the Lord leader becoming stronger and stronger. We see it in numerous other examples like that of Mordecai in the time of Esther, the queen. Even Zeresh, the wife of Haman had the insight to recognize that Mordecai being of the seed of Israel would prevail over her once powerful husband Haman. She saw the beginning of the fall of Haman and the rise of Mordecai. Mordecai became stronger and stronger even as Haman grew weaker. Even as our bodies and minds become naturally weaker as we age, our spirits should wax stronger as we lean or depend on the Lord even more than before. Our enemies or foes fight in vain against us for the Almighty Jehovah Nissi fights the war on our behalf. Victory is certain and defeat is not an option.
Prateep V Philip