THE TIMES FOR WAR

2 Samuel 11:1 In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.

If the text above was presented to us with the option to continue the story, many would be able to tell where it goes because this is the introductory verse to the story between David and Bathsheba, who was Uriah’s wife and eventually became Solomon’s mother.

However, today, I just want you to stay on the first two phrases “In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle”. No one suddenly jumps up and decides to go into battle, and that is regardless of the kind of battle. Be it an intellectual or emotional battles, or a spiritual or physical one. There is a planning required to wage a war campaign successfully: resources, personnel, information, strategies, tactics, and timing.

So you, what have you been doing? Why does it seem like you are perpetually waging war in and out of season? The price of entering battles out of set timings can turn out very costly: literally heavy losses and casualties, disruption of thought and planning processes, interruptions to supply chain and very likely, an outcome of defeat.

By all means however, you don’t stand back idly when battles come knocking on your door because there some battles that choose you. You stand and fight. But for those battles you get to choose, don’t just jump into them – enter prepared: be it a relationship such as marriage, a job interview, an examination, or a spiritual adventure. You have to eat before you start, because indeed there will be far to go.

#sly