YOU ARE NOT FORGOTTEN!

David lived in the wilderness for a long time whilst running away from a green-eyed King Saul who sought to kill him. David hid in caves, and had to continually look over his shoulders, living in constant fear of death, and far from the comfort of his home and family.

He appeared destitute and abandoned by God. The irony of his situation being that he had been, prior to this time, anointed as King by Samuel, a prophet of God. God had in a spectacular way, and with a standing ovation from his family, chosen him from among seven other nominees (his brothers) to be anointed as King. This was after God had clearly spoken to Samuel the prophet saying –“Fill your horn with oil; and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehem. For I have provided myself a King among his sons.” 1Samuel 16: 1b. And on seeing David, God had spoken to Samuel saying – “ Arise, anoint him; for this is the one.” 1 Samuel 16:12

As David seemingly wasted away in the wilderness, had God forgotten all about him and about His promise to make him King? Was his palace meant to be the caves in the wilderness? Was Samuel simply ridiculing when he anointed him, or was Samuel misled? Was this all one bad dream David had to wake up from, or had God changed His mind?

Many of us find ourselves in similar situations where our very present state reeks of abandonment; and makes mockery of our very faith in God and in His promises. We may even rudely consider the absurd thought that God might have slipped into slumber, or that He might have taken His eyes off us, or worst still, could be angry with us and might be punishing us.

Now let us review the biography of Joseph, the beloved son of Jacob who dreamed of greatness – of reigning over his entire family and having them bow to him. The supposedly great man, not long after openly sharing his dreams with his family was sold into slavery by his brothers. I bet Joseph might have wondered during his many hours of toil as a slave, if he had eaten too much on the days he had those dreams. Was God mocking him, or had God simply betrayed him? These questions, I presume crowded his thoughts and could have easily clouded his sense of judgment and Godliness.

Even worst, was when Joseph was falsely accused by Potipher’s wife, and thrown into jail. Languishing in prison, Joseph interpreted the dream of the King’s chief butler who promised to help him by mentioning him to the King to get him out. However, two years passed, that is 730 days elapsed, and there was no sign of the butler’s help. Joseph’s release seemed very bleak now. At this point, it would not be surprising if Joseph had lost hope in both God and man. Having suffered betrayal at the hands of his own brothers, Potipher’s wife, and then by the King’s butler, Joseph probably was at the end of his tether.

Men had disappointed both David and Joseph. They were ill-pursued, forsaken, secluded, deserted and abandoned. But worse of all was God’s dubitable promise to make David King, and to cause Joseph to reign supreme over his family. God’s promise stared blankly at them, ironically and sheepishly smiling at their misfortunes. God’s promise seemed totally impossible; a complete fallacy; a pie in the sky! But had God lied to them? Did He mince words? Or had Heaven got her wires crossed ?

A great number of people can identify with David and Joseph. The Word of God emphatically says “Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.” Ecclesiastes 7:8. In the end, David reigned as King after the demise of Saul. God’s promise was fulfilled, meaning God had at no time forgotten about His promise to David. There was an appointed time for its fulfillment, and when it was due, all roads led to the palace where David reigned in splendour.

Joseph's end was also beautiful. God mapped out a perfect plan to preserve His chosen nation Israel from dying of hunger. Using Joseph in Egypt,God provided food for Israel and Egypt during many years of famine. Joseph indeed reigned in a place of high esteem. He was a prime minister, and his family indeed bowed to him. The Word of the Lord tested Joseph, and in the long run, God's Word proved to be true.

Similarly,God has not forgotten about you. He is working amidst contrary winds to bring you to the shore of abundance; to his destined land of glory and promotion. So please, kindly keep your fingers crossed, and your faith revived as you are not forgotten.

*Key Scriptures: Genesis 37 - 47
1 Samuel 16 -31
2 Samuel 5