Listen for Marching in Your Place of Weeping

For those who have been in a time of weeping or crisis, this word is for you. 

In 2 Samuel 5, we see David anointed king. It takes almost no time for him to run up against an old enemy. The Philistines- who seem to be the obstacle that has kept coming back since he was a boy- come again in verse 17. 

"When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king of Israel, they mobilized all their forces to capture him. But David was told they were coming, so he went into the stronghold."

First, hear that the Lord has anointed you in this season. You have received an authority by His grace, and it’s no coincidence that at a time of spiritual promotion, old enemies would come calling. A great refreshment in this season is to take our eyes off the attack and put our eyes instead on the anointing.

Ask: Lord, what are you anointing me for in this season?

When David hears that the enemy has returned, he goes to the stronghold (verse 17). We do the same. We can have the Lord as our stronghold, or we can make something else our stronghold. Making the Lord our stronghold gives us strength to come back out. Making anything else our stronghold becomes a trap in the guise of safety or comfort. We can even lose the desire or will to come out again. We can start to doubt that we have what it takes to ever resurface.

Ask: Holy Spirit, would you shine a light on any place I’ve made a stronghold that’s not You? If anything comes up, pray: Lord, would you show me the counterfeit this stronghold provides? (false comfort, false power, false peace, etc.) Jesus, would you replace this counterfeit with the real thing that comes from you? 

Continuing in 2 Samuel 5:19, David, despite having won so many victories over the Philistines, humbles himself and remembers where those victories came from.

"So David asked the Lord, “Should I go out to fight the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?”

The Lord replied to David, “Yes, go ahead. I will certainly hand them over to you.” (2 Samuel 5:19)

Instead of charging ahead and trying the same tactics he’d used in the past, David remembers that his victory comes from the Lord each time. He chooses to ask. He asks if He should go out and battle them. God says YES. David is obedient, and when the promised victory comes, David asserts in verse 20, “The Lord did it! He burst through my enemies like a raging flood!”

If we find ourselves facing an old battle again, we can’t rely on the patterns of assumptions of yesterday. We must instead ask again. Lord, do I go out against this? In other words, “Lord, do I DO anything?” Sometimes the Lord partners with us in victory. Sometimes He does it all himself. We must be faithful to ask for new strategy... to ask if He would have us do and what He would have us do. 

When David does this, shockingly, the Philistines return! Hear this word: if your battle just returned, it doesn’t mean defeat. It doesn’t mean you did it wrong. But it does mean it’s time to seek God afresh and say, “What is Your directive this time?”

Verse 23 tells, “And again David asked the Lord what to do. “Do not attack them straight on,” the Lord replied. “Instead, circle around behind and attack them near the poplar trees. When you hear a sound like marching feet in the tops of the poplar trees, be on the alert! That will be the signal that the Lord is moving ahead of you to strike down the Philistine army.”

These powerful instructions discourage a straightforward approach. Hear the Lord saying to you, “The way I am bringing this victory is not straightforward!” 

Instead, David and his men are to hide in the trees. Scripture is unclear about if these trees were poplar, basal, or Myrtle, but the one thing that is known is that the type of tree they hid amongst was known for producing a thick sticky sap that looked like tears. They called them weeping trees. 

While they waiting on their victory, they had to sit in the place of weeping. When we’ve had a place of defeat, it’s often the last place we want to go back to. But the Lord had a victory planned. He tells them to sit in the place of weeping and listen for the sound of marching. 

In a time of battle - particularly when a familiar enemy has marched in on you- the sound of marching can be an alarming sound.  David and his men had to resist the urge to fear. The cue that normally would have made them run was actually now going to be the sign that the Lord was fighting their battles. At that time, the enemy wasn’t just defeated but was pushed back what was assumed to be about 12-22 miles. 

Ask the Lord, “What past place of weeping are you about to march into?”

The victory in this season is going to be about far more than the circumstance. This is to push back the enemy in an entire area. Begin seeking God for His vision on the bigger picture He is building up to, and be encouraged! You may be in a place of weeping, but listen! The Lord is giving you instructions. Heaven is about to be marching.