Life-Giving Words of Hope & Encouragement

Some call it the “waiting season.” Others call it the wilderness. Most of us just call it frustrating.

You know the feeling: God clearly spoke, opened a door, stirred a calling, confirmed a promise. You were “anointed,” set apart, stirred with purpose. Then… nothing moves the way you thought it would. The timeline stretches. Resistance rises. People misunderstand you. You start asking questions you never thought you’d ask: Did I hear Him right? Did I miss it? Why would God show me something and then make me wait?

Scripture refuses to treat that in-between space like wasted time. In fact, the Bible often shows that the gap between anointing and appointment is where God does some of His deepest work. And two kings, Saul and David, show us how differently a person can respond to the same kind of process.

Saul’s Three Confirmations: Chosen, Seen, and Tested

1) Private anointing (1 Samuel 10:1)

Saul’s story begins in an ordinary moment. He’s searching for lost donkeys, not a throne. Yet God interrupts the normal to reveal the divine. Samuel privately anoints Saul, and suddenly Saul carries a calling bigger than his life experience.

That’s often how God starts with us. He speaks promise before we feel ready. He calls us while we are still “searching for donkeys,” still figuring out life, still developing maturity. The oil is real, but the weight of it takes time to grow into.

And that’s where the danger begins: not in being chosen, but in what we do after we’re chosen.

2) Public confirmation (1 Samuel 10:17–24)

When Saul is publicly identified, he hides among the baggage. Fear and insecurity show up early. It’s possible to be appointed in position while still unsettled in the soul.

Saul’s problem wasn’t that he felt fear, everyone feels fear. His problem was that fear kept becoming his counselor. Instead of letting the Lord shape him in private, he became overly shaped by what people thought in public.

If you live for people’s approval, you will eventually sacrifice God’s instruction to keep their applause.

3) Reaffirmation after victory (1 Samuel 11:14–15)

After Saul wins a significant battle, Israel gathers at Gilgal and reaffirms him as king. Momentum is on his side. The nation is celebrating. This should have been a moment of settled confidence and grateful obedience.

But Saul’s later downfall reminds us of a sobering truth: early victories do not replace ongoing obedience. A powerful start cannot carry you through a compromised middle.

Saul’s life becomes a warning that you can be gifted and still drift. You can be selected and still become stubborn. You can be celebrated and still grow disobedient. The in-between season exposed what Saul trusted most, and it wasn’t the Lord’s timing.

David’s Three Anointings: Called, Formed, and Established

1) Private anointing in Bethlehem (1 Samuel 16:12–13)

David is anointed while he still smells like sheep. He’s not on anyone’s shortlist, not even his own family’s. Yet God sees what man overlooks.

The Scripture says the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him from that day forward. Notice the order: Spirit first, throne later. Calling first, crowning later. Promise first, process later.

If you’re in a season where you feel hidden, overlooked, or underestimated, remember that David’s anointing happened in obscurity. Heaven can announce you long before earth recognizes you.

2) Anointed king of Judah (2 Samuel 2:4)

After Saul dies, David is anointed as king over Judah. This is progress, but it’s not the full promise. He is stepping into fulfillment, yet still facing resistance, delay, and conflict.

This is one of the hardest places to live spiritually: when God has started to fulfill His word, but you are not “there” yet. Partial fulfillment can tempt you to grasp for full control. David didn’t.

Instead, David learned how to keep his hands clean while his heart stayed steady. He refused to force what only God could fully establish.

3) Anointed king of all Israel (2 Samuel 5:3)

After years of waiting, hardship, and battles, David is finally anointed king over all Israel. The promise comes to pass, not because David was perfect, but because David stayed responsive. He repented quickly. He worshiped deeply. He sought the Lord sincerely. He kept returning to God as his source.

David’s journey teaches us that God is not only preparing the promise for you. He is preparing you for the promise.

The Power of the In-Between Season

The difference between Saul and David shows up most clearly in the waiting.

The in-between is where God refines you

David’s wilderness was not punishment. It was training. He learned to lead while serving. He learned courage while fighting lions and bears. He learned worship while hiding in caves. God used pressure to produce maturity.

If you’re under pressure, don’t assume God has abandoned you. Pressure can be proof that God is shaping capacity.

The in-between exposes character

Saul’s impatience cost him dearly (1 Samuel 13:8–14). David had moments where he could have taken shortcuts, but he chose restraint. When he had the chance to kill Saul, he refused. He would not seize what God had not yet handed to him.

That restraint wasn’t weakness. It was strength under submission.

A quick way to test your readiness is this: can you keep honoring God when you could “make it happen” yourself?

The in-between teaches you to trust timing

Waiting is hard because it feels like silence, but God’s silence is not the same as God’s absence. The Lord can be working in ways you can’t see, aligning people, removing obstacles, and building inner stability that your next season will require.

A simple phrase to hold onto in the waiting is this: God is never late, and He is never confused.

The in-between can become your greatest growth season

Many of David’s psalms were born in pressure. Worship came out of the cave. Faith came out of the fight. Depth came out of delay.

You may not choose the wilderness, but you can choose what it produces in you.

Encouragement for the Reader

If you are between anointing and appointment right now, take heart. The in-between is not God teasing you. It’s God training you. It’s the space where your faith gets roots, your motives get purified, and your dependence gets deeper.

You don’t have to rush. You don’t have to panic. You don’t have to compare your timeline to someone else’s highlight reel. The same God who spoke the promise is faithful to complete it.

Hold on to this truth from Scripture: “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)

He started it, and He will finish it.

Prayer:

Father, thank You that You are the God of calling, and the God of completion. Thank You that when You anoint, You also sustain. I lift up the reader who feels stuck in the in-between, waiting on a promise, carrying a burden, wondering if they heard You clearly. Strengthen their heart today. Quiet every voice of fear and comparison. Give them grace to obey in small things, patience to trust Your timing, and courage to keep moving forward even when the path feels slow. Use this season to refine them, not to break them. Teach them what they need to learn now, so they can carry what You will place in their hands later. Let hope rise again, and let peace settle deep. We trust You, Lord. You are faithful, and You do not waste a single day of our lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen.