Waiting on God: The Anointing Before the Crown

Devotional

Day 1: Running Toward Giants When the Ground Shakes

David didn’t wait for the giant to come closer. He sprinted toward Goliath, stones in hand, trusting the battle belonged to God. Battles often feel like they’re chasing us, but faith moves us forward even when fear shouts louder. What looks like recklessness to others is radical reliance on the One who holds the outcome. Waiting passively isn’t an option when God says, “Run.” The ground shakes less when we’re moving in His direction. [26:28]

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1, ESV)

Reflection: What “giant” have you been avoiding out of fear? How might stepping toward it in trust shift your focus from the size of the problem to the strength of your God?

Day 2: Crowns Delayed, Hearts Refined

David wore an invisible crown for 15 years—anointed but not yet enthroned. Waiting isn’t a hallway to the throne room; it’s the workshop where God ties our hearts to His. Like threads in a tapestry, the delays weave resilience, humility, and dependence into our character. The promise isn’t just the crown; it’s the closeness forged in the waiting. [30:42]

Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! (Psalm 27:14, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you equated waiting with wasting time? How might this season be refining your heart rather than just delaying your reward?

Day 3: The Language of Mountains and Lunchboxes

God speaks through sunsets over Glacier Park and packed lunches on rocky trails. He doesn’t need eloquence to get our attention—just creation’s whisper or a parent’s awestruck sigh. Divine messages aren’t reserved for sanctuaries; they’re hidden in ordinary moments for those willing to listen. [20:38]

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. (Psalm 19:1–2, ESV)

Reflection: When did God last surprise you with His voice in an everyday moment? What ordinary space might He use to speak to you today?

Day 4: Weaving Strength While the Spears Fly

Saul’s spears couldn’t unravel David’s heart. Every dodge, every wilderness hideout, tightened the weave of trust. Hardship isn’t a sign of God’s absence—it’s the loom where He binds us to Himself. The backside of the tapestry looks chaotic, but the front reveals a story only He could design. [31:24]

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9, ESV)

Reflection: What current struggle feels like a tangle of threads? How might God be using it to weave resilience into your relationship with Him?

Day 5: Surrendering the Crown Before It’s Worn

David learned to hold the future crown loosely long before he wore it. Every delayed promise trains us to drop our crowns at Jesus’ feet. True strength isn’t clutching our destiny—it’s releasing it daily, knowing every honor circles back to the One who authors the story. [46:19]

The twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne. (Revelation 4:10, ESV)

Reflection: What dream or goal are you gripping tightly? What would it look like to hold it open-handed today, trusting God’s timing over your timeline?

Sermon Summary

God knows how to speak the language of the heart. The Lord may speak through a Glacier National Park vista, through the beauty of creation, and especially through Scripture, where the Holy Spirit meets people in ways they can understand. David’s life shows that God looks past the parade, the publicity, and the outward appearance to find a heart willing to tend what God has placed in front of it.

David ran toward Goliath because he knew the battle belonged to the Lord. David’s courage did not come from being the biggest guy on the field or from pretending the giant was small. The Lord was with him, and that made all the difference. The battles that feel too big, too complicated, or better suited to somebody more qualified are still battles in which the Lord is present.

The anointing often comes before the crown. David was anointed king, then spent about fifteen years waiting, serving Saul, dodging spears, surviving suicide missions, and hiding from armies. God did not abandon David before the crown arrived. The Lord showed David favor in the wilderness, in the awkwardness of serving the king he would replace, and in every place where fear had a reason to take hold.

Psalm 27 gives words for that kind of waiting. David calls the Lord his light, salvation, fortress, helper, and the One who holds him close even if father and mother abandon him. David does not deny that enemies surround him, that lies are told about him, or that violence threatens him. The Lord’s presence becomes the one thing David seeks most, because being bound to God matters more than getting quickly out of trouble.

Waiting, in the Hebrew picture, is like being tied together or woven into a tapestry. The back of a tapestry can look like a mishmash, but the front reveals that every thread has been bound into something secure and beautiful. The Lord uses waiting to draw a person near, not to leave a person hanging out alone in the heat of battle.

The crown is not wrong to desire, but the crown belongs at Jesus’ feet. The Lord calls tired and discouraged people to wait patiently, be brave, and trust again. Paul’s thorn confirms the same upside-down kingdom truth: weakness held close to Christ becomes strength. The Lord’s promise is not that waiting feels easy, but that nobody trusting in Him will be abandoned.

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Key Takeaways

1. The anointing comes before the crown. David received the promise of kingship long before he received the throne. The gap was not empty time, because God formed David through danger, service, and disappointment. The crown arrives in God’s timing, but God’s presence is already given in the waiting. [30:09]
2. Waiting binds hearts close to God. Waiting is not merely standing still while life refuses to move. The picture is of threads being tied and woven together, even when the backside of life looks messy and unfinished. The Lord uses delayed answers to draw a person into deeper dependence and closeness. [41:20]
3. The Lord makes the majority. David faced armies, spears, and a giant, yet none of those forces had the final word. The Lord’s presence does not always remove the battle, but it changes who truly holds the power in it. Faith begins to stand firm when it remembers whose battle it is. [42:37]
4. Weakness becomes strength in Christ. Paul’s unanswered plea did not mean that God had stepped away from him. Christ’s sufficient grace met Paul precisely where self-sufficiency had run out. Human weakness becomes strong when it stops trying to carry the battle alone.

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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[20:03] - God Speaks the Language of the Heart
[22:20] - A Golf Ball Named David
[24:37] - God Looks at the Heart
[26:28] - Running Toward the Battle
[30:09] - Anointing Before the Crown
[31:08] - Waiting Is Not Wasted
[33:53] - David Waits Under Saul
[38:04] - Psalm 27: The Lord Is Light and Fortress
[41:20] - Waiting as Being Woven Together
[44:31] - The Lord Is the Majority
[45:16] - Crowns Belong at Jesus’ Feet
[47:41] - Grace Is Sufficient in Weakness
[50:08] - Trusting the Lord Again

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Psalm 27
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident. One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock. And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord. Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me! You have said, 'Seek my face.' My heart says to you, 'Your face, Lord, do I seek.' Hide not your face from me. Turn not your servant away in anger, O you who have been my help. Cast me not off; forsake me not, O God of my salvation! For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in. Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies. Give me not up to the will of my adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against me, and they breathe out violence. I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” [38:04]

1 Samuel 16:7
“But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” [24:37]

2 Corinthians 12:9
“But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” [48:11]

Observation questions

In Psalm 27, what pictures and names does David use to describe the Lord when he is surrounded by danger?
What does David say is the one thing he seeks most, and how does that desire shape the rest of Psalm 27? [42:00]
According to 1 Samuel 16:7, what contrast is made between the way people evaluate someone and the way God does? [24:37]
What does Paul receive from the Lord in response to his repeated request about his thorn, and what does this reveal about God’s help in weakness? [48:11]

Interpretation questions

David does not pretend that enemies, accusations, and fear are absent. What does Psalm 27 show about the difference between denying trouble and trusting God in the middle of trouble?
Why might David’s greatest request be closeness with the Lord rather than a quick escape from Saul, danger, or delay? [42:19]
David was anointed long before he received the crown. How might those years of serving, danger, and waiting have formed the kind of heart God saw in him? [30:09]
Paul’s weakness was not immediately removed, yet Christ’s grace was sufficient. What might it mean for a person’s weakness to become a place where Christ’s strength is seen? [49:07]

Application questions

What are you waiting for right now that feels especially heavy, uncertain, or delayed? How has that waiting affected your trust in God? [50:20]
When you face a problem that seems too big or better suited to someone more qualified, what is your usual response: move toward it, avoid it, or ask for someone else to handle it? What would it look like to remember that the battle belongs to the Lord? [29:34]
Where are you tempted to focus on the “crown”—the outcome, recognition, relief, or answer—more than being close to the Lord in the process? What could help you seek God’s presence first? [45:02]
Psalm 27 gives words for bringing fear honestly to God. Which description of the Lord—light, salvation, fortress, helper, or the One who holds you close—do you most need to hold onto this week?
Waiting can feel like looking at the messy back of a tapestry. Can you identify a past season that did not make sense at the time but later showed signs of God’s care or shaping work? How might that memory encourage you now? [41:31]
Where has weakness, weariness, or discouragement made you feel like you have little left to give? What would it look like to ask Christ to meet you there with sufficient grace rather than trying to carry it alone? [49:24]

Sermon Clips

64s

#TrustGod

“You will not be abandoned. That's the Lord's promise, not mine. You will not be abandoned in your waiting. So I ask again, what are you waiting for? The thing that maybe no one knows or only a few people know because it's that close. It might even feel like it's an issue of life or death. What are you waiting for? Would you be willing to say to the Lord this morning, I'll trust you again. Help me. I I don't know how the prayer will sound for you, that's my prayer. Lord, I'll trust you. You've you've been faithful to me. I'll trust you. Would you help me to trust you?”

65s

#WaitingIsNotWasted

“So if you're waiting and waiting for the crown, and that's gonna be our theme today, waiting, I want you to know this. You're waiting, and what you might be waiting for just even now, it's not wasted. You might feel like this is a waste of time. I could have been. I could have been doing. And maybe the Lord has you in a season of waiting and and that is not wasted. As we wait on the Lord, he binds us. He it's like he weaves or it's a tapestry. We are woven together. There's a Hebrew word that's used for waiting, and it describes the binding or the tying together. It's often used in to describe the weaving process. As we wait on the Lord, he binds us to himself, and that is not wasted.”

46s

#GodIsWithYou

“Your waiting isn't wasted, but this morning I'm gonna ask you if you would be willing just prayerfully to say to the Lord, Lord, if you'd have me wait, I'll wait longer. And it'd be okay if we add to that prayer, but Lord, would you be with me? Because wouldn't it be a cruel joke to ask somebody to wait in the midst of the heat and the battle and then say, Oh, by the way, you're gonna be all alone, but hang in there. That would be cruel.”

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Living Hope Church, Eugene This sermon · AI assistant

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