While Waiting To Be Crowned

“Must Jesus bear the cross alone, and all the world go free?

No, there’s a cross for everyone, and there’s a cross for me.

The consecrated cross I’ll bear till death shall set me free;

And then go home my crown to wear. For there’s a crown for me.”

I feel led of God the Holy Spirit to address this issue of WHAT TO DO WHILE WAITING TO BE CROWNED. Since you and I can’t be Crowned “Till death shall set me free and then go home,” I thought it would be profitable and pertinent to probe this Interim Period of Delay. And so the Question is: WHAT MUST YOU AND I DO WHILE WAITING TO BE CROWNED? I wonder, are you interested?

If you are, then our Target Text is Psalm 27:1-3. In the KJV it says:

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.

Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.”

Now, countless individuals have come to this Psalm and seem to have found a sense of comfort even a measure of confidence. And that is good. And yet, of those countless individuals a large number has misappropriated its message or staked a false claim on its content, simply because it was never meant for them seeing they bear no consecrated cross and endure no redemptive suffering.

This Psalm is intended for BATTLE-TESTED SAINTS, SOLDIERS IN THE ARMY OF THE LORD or, if you please, THE SALVATION ARMY. Its aim is to comfort and encourage those SAINTS OF THE SOVEREIGN who are on the BATTLEFIELD. It is not meant for that person who seeks temporary relief from a human induced problem of their own making. Nor is it intended for those who run to the Lord for Shelter only when trouble comes their way and when the storm is over, walk away without even a word of thanks.

This is a Psalm of David, a Man of War and not the Song of Davida, an effeminate person who loves pleasure and play! This is a Psalm of David, who had experienced personally the Inner Conflict and Tension involved in Faith. For in the first Six Verses of this Psalm, David is on the mountain-top of Confidence proclaiming His Security in the Lord his Light, Salvation and Strength. But then in Verses 7-14, he is in the Valley-Low of Doubt pleading for the Mercy of not being Forsaken!

Yea, this Psalm is meant for those of us who know of the “Sometimes up and sometimes down, almost leveled to the ground” thing. It is meant for those of us who have serious dealings with this “Abundance of Joy and Down to the Bottom Poverty” thing. It is meant for those of us who have experienced this “Wounded in the house of a Friend” thing. THIS CONFLICT-TENSION THING IN FAITH!!!!

Note this CONFLICT-TENSION THING IN FAITH IN DAVID’S LIFE. For historically and contextually, David has been ANOINTED KING, but is KING IN EXILE fighting for his very life. Either driven from Israel to keep him from assuming the throne by King Saul or else driven from the throne in a Coup Attempt by his son Absalom. David is a KING without a THRONE, a Kingdom and WITHOUT A CROWN. Destined to rule as King on the throne, but Fighting a Great Fight just to Preserve His Life. That is the situation we confront in our Text. We confront this ANOINTED YET ANNOYED THING, THIS ELECTED YET EXILED THING, THIS PERSUADED YET PERPLEXED THING, THIS FAITH YET FEAR THING!!!

And it would seem like TO HAVE AN ANOINTING ON YOUR LIFE, TO BE UNDER THE ANOINTING OF THE LORD, IS A DANGEROUS BLESSING!!! For the Anointing marks you out as Different, it sets you a part from the group; it makes others take notice of you; it makes you a target of attack. For mind you, our Lord Jesus warned us in John 15:19-20 saying: “If you were of the world, the world would love his own: but because you are not of the world but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. IF THEY HAVE PERSECUTED ME, THEY WILL ALSO PERSECUTE YOU …” TO HAVE AN ANOINTING ON YOUR LIFE IS A DANGEROUS BLESSING!

And so it would seem like David’s trouble started when HE STOOD UNDER THE HORN OF ANOINTING IN THE MIDST OF HIS BRETHREN. For at the Act of Anointing, the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that time forward; but the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled Saul; and from that day, Saul became David’s enemy and tried repeatedly to kill him. THE ANOINTING SET DAVID UP AS A TARGET!