Making Of A King- Week 3: When Everything Changes | Journey Church Online |June 21, 2026

David’s life shows that God does not just raise up a king in one big moment. God shapes ordinary people for extraordinary purposes through a process. David was forgotten in a field, anointed in secret, sent back to sheep, brought out to face Goliath, and then pulled into a season where everything changed. David’s calling never meant life would get easier, but David’s heart kept chasing after God first.

First Samuel 18 brings David into the palace with favor on his life. Whatever Saul asked David to do, David did it successfully. The people celebrated him, singing, “Saul has killed his thousands, but David his ten thousands,” and Saul’s heart turned jealous. Saul allowed a thought to become a feeling, and that feeling became an action. His fear that David would replace him became anger, and that anger put a spear in his hand.

The question becomes, what does David do when everything changes? Humility comes first. David had already been anointed king, but he refused to live like he had to grab the throne. David did not say, “I deserve better than this.” David stayed low, trusted God, and refused to let pride dictate his next move.

Community comes next. Jonathan loved David like himself, and that friendship became protection when Saul tried to destroy him. Jonathan was the kind of friend who could speak truth, warn David, and help keep him alive. The picture of someone running into the fire after a friend shows the kind of community a believer needs when life is in shambles. People who love God and love that person may not always have the answer, but they can say, “You’re not alone.”

God’s timing comes last. David once took Goliath’s sword, the very weapon meant to kill him, and placed it before God as an offering. Later, when David was running for his life, that sword came back as a reminder that God had already brought victory before. Then, when Saul entered the cave and David had the chance to kill him, David refused. David would not step into his calling through dishonor. God’s timing mattered more than David’s opportunity, because the way David responded would set the tone for everyone watching.

When everything changes, humility, community, and trust in God’s timing keep a life from being ruled by panic, pride, or pressure.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Plans change to expose trust [51:14] God sometimes allows a plan to crumble so confidence can move from a schedule to the Father. A sudden shift is not always just an attack from the enemy, even though the enemy does attack. The changed circumstance can reveal where control had quietly become the thing being trusted. God uses those moments to ask a deeper question: where has trust moved away from Him? [51:14]
• 2. Humility keeps calling clean [54:08] David had the anointing, but he refused to carry the attitude of entitlement. Calling did not give him permission to dishonor Saul or demand his own way. Humility protected David from turning God’s promise into personal ambition. A person can be right about the future and still wrong in the spirit used to reach it. [54:08]
• 3. Community runs into the fire [01:01:23] Jonathan’s friendship with David shows that faithful community is not casual company. Real friends warn, protect, speak truth, and refuse to let someone disappear in the flames. When tragedy hits, emotions can cloud wisdom, and trusted people can see what the wounded person cannot see. God often uses those relationships to keep a person from making permanent decisions in temporary pain. [61:23]
• 4. Offer God the enemy’s weapon [01:07:36] Goliath’s sword was the weapon meant to end David, but David placed it before God as a testimony of victory. The very thing that tried to destroy a person can become an offering when surrendered to God. Addiction, loss, fear, and devastation do not have to remain trophies of the enemy. In God’s hands, they can become reminders that He has already brought someone through. [67:36]
• 5. God’s timing protects future obedience [01:10:32] David could have killed Saul in the cave and called it opportunity, but obedience saw deeper than the moment. If David had taken the throne through murder, he would have taught future leaders that calling could be seized by force. God’s timing protected not only David’s heart, but the pattern others would follow. The way a believer handles pressure becomes a lesson for everyone watching. [70:32]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [40:34] - Honoring Fathers
• [41:45] - The Making of a King
• [42:50] - David, Forgotten but Faithful
• [43:54] - Saul’s Jealous Eye
• [45:58] - What Do You Do When Everything Changes?
• [51:14] - When Plans Suddenly Shift
• [53:34] - Stay Humble
• [56:47] - Be in Community
• [63:39] - Trust God’s Timing
• [64:53] - Goliath’s Sword in the Temple
• [69:08] - David Spares Saul
• [72:24] - The Example Others Follow
• [75:59] - Invitation and Response

Bible Reading

1 Samuel 18:5-11
“And whatever Saul asked David to do, David did it successfully. So Saul set him over the men of war. And this was good in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul's servants. As they were coming home, when David returned from striking down the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with songs of joy, and with musical instruments. And the women sang to one another as they celebrated, ‘Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands.’ And Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him. He said, ‘They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands, and what more can he have but the kingdom?’ And Saul eyed David from that day on. The next day a harmful spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he raved within his house while David was playing the lyre, as he did day by day. Saul had his spear in his hand. And Saul hurled the spear, for he thought, ‘I will pin David to the wall.’ But David evaded him twice.” [43:54]

1 Samuel 24:1-7
“When Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, ‘Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.’ Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the Wildgoats' Rocks. And he came to the sheepfolds by the way, where there was a cave, and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave. And the men of David said to him, ‘Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, “Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.”’ Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul's robe. And afterward David's heart struck him, because he had cut off a corner of Saul's robe. He said to his men, ‘The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord's anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the Lord's anointed.’ So David persuaded his men with these words and did not permit them to attack Saul. And Saul rose up and left the cave and went on his way.” [01:09:08]

1 Samuel 18:1-4
“As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. And Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father's house. Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt.”

Observation questions

1. In 1 Samuel 18:5-11, what specific chain of events moved Saul from celebrating victory to trying to kill David? [43:54]
2. In 1 Samuel 24:1-7, what did David actually do in the cave, and what did he refuse to do when Saul was vulnerable? [01:09:08]
3. In 1 Samuel 18:1-4, what actions show that Jonathan’s friendship with David was more than casual friendship?
4. What three responses help when everything changes, and how are each of them seen in David’s life? [53:48]

Interpretation questions

1. Saul allowed a thought to grow into jealousy and then into violence. What does that reveal about what can happen when fear and insecurity are left unchecked? [53:19]
2. David had already been anointed, yet he did not act entitled or force his way forward. What does that show about the difference between having a calling and trying to control the outcome? [54:08]
3. Jonathan protected David and warned him when danger was close. What does that suggest about the kind of community believers need when emotions are high and life feels unstable? [01:01:23]
4. David refused to kill Saul even when the opportunity was right in front of him. Why does waiting for God’s timing sometimes require passing up an open door that seems justified? [01:10:32]

Application questions

1. When plans suddenly shift, where is trust usually tested most in life right now: work, family, finances, health, or something else? What does that reveal about where control may have quietly become too important? [51:14]
2. David did not say, “I deserve better than this.” Where is that kind of entitlement most tempting right now? In what relationship or situation would humility change the way responses happen this week? [53:59]
3. Everyone needs people who will run into the fire with them. Who are the few people that can truly speak into life, tell the truth, and help in a hard season? If those people are not there, what may need to change? [01:01:37]
4. Pain, loss, fear, or addiction can become the enemy’s weapon unless it is surrendered to God. What is one hard thing from the past or present that needs to be placed before God as an offering instead of carried as a trophy of defeat? [01:07:36]
5. David would not step into his future through dishonor. Is there any area where it is tempting to force a result, rush a decision, or take a shortcut instead of waiting well? What would trusting God’s timing look like in that situation? [01:10:32]
6. The way a believer handles pressure teaches others how to respond. Who is watching closely right now—children, friends, newer believers, coworkers, or family members—and what kind of pattern is being set for them? [01:12:24]
7. Community helps people avoid making permanent decisions in temporary pain. When life gets heavy, is the tendency to isolate, hide, stay busy, or let trusted people in? What would it look like to choose openness instead this week? [58:47]