“And it shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, and then you shall advance quickly. For then the LORD will go out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines." And David did so, as the LORD commanded him; and he drove back the Philistines from Geba as far as Gezer.”
In the midst of the business of life, when challenges and problems press in on you, and the enemy of our soul, our family, our job and our future seems to be hammering at your door, what do you hear? Do you hear the negative voice of the world screaming at you through the media, friends, family and circumstances? Is there a Goliath in your life threatening to cut off your head and feed you to the birds?
I believe David’s success as a shepherd boy, a psalmist, a general, a fugitive, and a king to conquer all his enemies and to usher Israel into an unprecedented time of peace and prosperity was founded on David’s ability to hear and respond to the voice of God in the midst of crisis. We see a good example of this in I Samuel 30 when David and his band of men return from battle and find their city has been burned with fire and their families and all they possessed had been taken by the enemy. The Bible says the men were so distressed over the loss of their sons and daughters that they talked of stoning David. David himself was weeping at the loss of his wife and children. But instead of wanting to stone someone, the Bible says “David strengthened himself in the Lord his God and… David inquired of the Lord.” (I Samuel 30:6,8) The result of David’s response in the midst of crisis was at God’s instructions, he not only defeated the enemy and recovered everything the enemy had taken, but he plundered the enemy.
Many have started the New Year with prayer and fasting in order to prepare their souls to hear the voice of the Spirit. It is a powerful way to begin the New Year. But let us not slip back into our old ways but maintain a posture of hearing God’s voice to enable us to conquer and plunder the enemy in the coming year. In the opening passage God speaks to David that when you hear my army advancing, it is time for you to advance quickly. When I move, you move. When I act, you act. The Lord promises David, when you do this, “I the Lord will go out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.”
I believe 2012 is a crucial year for us to hear the voice of God, observe what He is doing, and act quickly when He speaks and moves. Whatever you are facing today, God is greater than your challenge and has a plan to enable you to overcome. Daniel 11:32-33 says, “The people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits. And those of the people who understand shall instruct many.”
May you hear God’s voice in a new way today and may His grace and enabling power cause you to walk in victory and into His destiny for you.
Andy Clark
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