Dec
19
Lead By Following
Filed Under Devotional
It is yet another one of God’s paradoxes that those who try to lead will struggle and those who simply follow God are natural leaders. It’s when you stop doing things on your own strength with your own rationalization and trust in God’s strength and His leadership that others will follow.
I watch the news lately and see story after story of people who are supposed to be leaders being eaten alive by their own greed and corruption. They felt that they were entitled to the perks of power and focused on gaining them. The result is that they won’t be leaders anymore.
Then I read about David and how he simply went about his business doing the right thing (most of the time) and those who would follow just noticed. This is one case while he mourned for a famous general who had been fighting against him for some time.
“Then they all came and urged David to eat something while it was still day; but David took an oath, saying, ‘May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun sets!’
All the people took note and were pleased; indeed, everything the king did pleased them.” 2 Samuel 3:35-36
“All the people” here means people who had been on David’s side and people who had been on the House of Saul’s side. Everyone took notice and were pleased.
David didn’t go out and demand fealty. He did demand his perks and benefits. He didn’t even demand his rightful throne. David let God take care of that in His own time. David simply followed God. Israel liked what they saw and followed him.
So, don’t lead by trying to lead. Lead by following God.