Issue #139, October 1, 2014
David spends considerable time running from King Saul and his leadership seems reduced to surviving while he waits for God’s plan for his life to unfold. But before he became the king God allowed David to learn how to lead in a crisis. At a pivotal point in David’s leadership, he and his men returned home from the battlefield and found disaster.
When David and his men came to Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. David's two wives had been captured – Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God. Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, "Bring me the ephod." Abiathar brought it to him, and David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?" "Pursue them," he answered. "You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue." David and the six hundred men with him came to the Besor Ravine, where some stayed behind,”(1 Samuel 30:3-9).
What can servant leaders learn from David about leading in crisis?
Acknowledge the reality.
David did not try to hide the pain of the situation or pretend that nothing was wrong. He acknowledged the painful reality; their homes were burned, their families captured. David’s own wives were among the missing. Not only was he personally impacted by the crisis, but on top of that, the people were ready to stone him! David was in serious trouble! How did he respond? He did not deny the situation, he did not point fingers of blame, and he did not run away. He wept together with his men. Servant leaders do not ignore realities or simply hope that a crisis will go away; they honestly admit the reality and the pain of the situation. But they don’t stop there.
Find strength in God!
David was all alone. Even his dear friend Jonathan was not there to provide comfort, wisdom, or strength. But what David did in crisis is one of the most profound leadership principles in the Bible, “But David found strength in the LORD his God.” In crisis David turned towards God. As he found strength in God, he was able to put aside his own personal pain and focus on the needs of the entire group. He then called for a priest who helped him determine God’s direction for the moment. Servant leaders have a place to turn in crisis to find strength and direction. Others on David’s team became bitter; he became better as he turned his face towards God. Crises reveal what is within the heart of a leader, reliance on self or dependence on God. Where is your source of strength in difficult times?
Plan for action.
Leaders call people to action, and as soon as David had direction from God, he rallied his men and they set out to resolve the crisis. They had no guarantee of success, other than faith in God, but they followed David’s leadership and moved forward. Moments earlier the followers’ response to the crisis was to attack David, the leader. But David attacked the problem and proposed solutions. Leaders in crisis must act quickly, but first need to find strength in God.
Times of crisis call for strong leaders like David whose hearts have been prepared in advance to respond honestly, cry to God for help, and then call others to act.
For further reflection and discussion:
- What other ways could David have responded to this crisis? What might have been the outcome?
- Reflect on a leadership crisis you observed in which someone else was leading. What was their response and what can you learn from it?
- What is the greatest crisis you have faced in your own leadership? Reflect on what happened. Did you respond in the way David responded and how did your response impact what God was able to do in the situation?
- In what ways can you prepare in advance for the inevitable times of crisis?