Crowned at Last

In reading 2 Samuel 5 and 1 Chronicles 11-12, I read about the moment when David becomes king over all Israel. After years of uncertainty and conflict, this feels like a natural conclusion to his story—yet getting here was anything but simple.

David was anointed as the future king long before this, back when he was still a young shepherd. But that promise didn’t immediately lead to power. Instead, David spent years on the run from Saul, living as a fugitive, leading a growing but fragile group of supporters, and navigating political complexities. Even after Saul's death, David ruled only part of Israel for seven years before the entire kingdom finally came together under his leadership.

Patience: The Leadership Skill Nobody Talks About

This makes me wonder about patience. How does someone hold onto a vision or promise for that long, without certainty that it will ever fully materialize? Did David doubt along the way? Did he ever consider stepping away from the path entirely?

In many ways, this stands in contrast to modern ideas about ambition. There's often a focus on moving quickly, achieving more, and pushing forward. Success is frequently measured by how fast we get there. David's story offers a different rhythm. His rise to leadership depended not only on his own readiness but also on timing outside his control. The tribes of Israel needed to be ready. The political landscape had to shift. His personal preparedness was only one piece of a much larger picture.

Act or Wait? The Timeless Question

I find myself thinking about the tension between action and waiting. David didn't passively wait for the crown to be handed to him. He acted where he could: forming alliances, leading his people, and protecting his community. But he also didn't force the kingship before the time was right. That balance feels difficult to achieve. How do we know when to act and when to wait? How much control do we really have over timing?

Leadership on a Slow Simmer

There's also something here about leadership itself. The delay between David's anointing and his actual reign wasn't wasted time. Those years shaped him. They gave space for relationships to form, for loyalty to develop, for the broader community to recognize his leadership. It wasn't just about David being ready; it was about the world around him coming into alignment.

Timing: The Piece We Can’t Control (But Wish We Could)

I wonder how often we overlook this aspect of timing in our own lives. How much of reaching a goal depends not just on personal effort but on external circumstances aligning? And how do we maintain patience in those in-between times, when things feel stalled or uncertain?

David's journey suggests that leadership—and maybe life itself—is as much about waiting for the right time as it is about acting. The waiting might not always feel purposeful, but it could be shaping us in ways we don't fully see yet.