The King will return to the throne

When was the last time you felt low in life?  When was the last time you felt deceived, dejected and disappointed? When was the last time you felt you are alone in a bottomless pit and there is no way out? If you ever felt that way keep reading, for the next 30 minutes could transform your life.

What you need to understand is that everyone born in flesh and blood have been at the “bottomless pit” and felt the same way. You are not alone. Renowned scientist Isaac Newton, President Abraham Lincoln, Sir Winston Churchill, Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, Author Charles Dickens are some of the people who were hit hard by the reality of life and felt lowest at one point in their lives.

Rick Warren said “Transformation is a process, and as life happens there are tons of ups and downs. It’s a journey of discovery – there are moments on mountaintops and moments in deep valleys of despair”

Life is a journey where you need to cross from one mountain to another mountain. In between this, you need to walk through the valley.

In the bible King David sang “Even though I walk through the valley of shadow of death I fear no evil”. Underline the words “through”. We walk through the valley and not stay in the valley. Walking through the valley is part of our life and we were designed to walk through the valley and reach the mountaintops.

Even King David walked through the valley. There is a very poignant story about King David going through this lowest point in life. It happened after he became the King of Israel after all those long and hard years of trying to escape from Saul. David suffered much in his early life and finally God’s promise was fulfilled in his life and he became the King of Israel. That should have been the pinnacle of his career. But soon after this mountain-top experience he reached the lowest point in his life when his own son Absalom tried to steal the throne and evicted him from the Kingdom.

This story was recorded in 2 Samuel 15. The bible records,

In the course of time, Absalom provided himself with a chariot and horses and with fifty men to run ahead of him. 2 He would get up early and stand by the side of the road leading to the city gate. Whenever anyone came with a complaint to be placed before the king for a decision, Absalom would call out to him, “What town are you from?” He would answer, “Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel.”3 Then Absalom would say to him, “Look, your claims are valid and proper, but there is no representative of the king to hear you.” 4 And Absalom would add, “If only I were appointed judge in the land! Then everyone who has a complaint or case could come to me and I would see that they receive justice.” 5 Also, whenever anyone approached him to bow down before him, Absalom would reach out his hand, take hold of him and kiss him. 6 Absalom behaved in this way toward all the Israelites who came to the king asking for justice, and so he stole the hearts of the people of Israel.

This was a deceptive act by Absalom as he tried to the steal the hearts of the Israelite people. Absalom’s intention to become a king was not a bad agenda. He is a Kings son and he could have expressed his desire to his father. But the way he tried to deceptively steal the throne by acting against his father was wrong. He went on to lie to his father that he was going to worship the Lord but appointed secret messengers to proclaim him as king. He even used the act of worshiping and serving the Lord as a reason to hide his motives. Finally because of his charming nature, his followers started increasing and the news reached King David. This must have been a stab in the back for King David. King David realised that he needs to leave the city or otherwise his own son will put the city to the sword. So David left his throne and set out of the city. What a tragedy! The real king has left the throne and the city. The bible says “The whole countryside wept aloud as all the people passed by. The king also crossed the Kidron Valley, and all the people moved on toward the wilderness.”

This must have been the lowest point in David’s life. He left the throne because his own son has deceptively attained the throne and now he is trying to kill him. Why did the bible specifically records that the David crossed the Kidron valley? Because Kidron valley is the symbol of lowest point in ones life. It is the same Kidron valley that Jesus crossed before entering the garden of Gethsemane. The bible says “When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it.”

It is in this valley Jesus prayed “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

Kidron valley symbolises the valley of lowest point in ones life. It is a valley where you will cry “where are you Lord…?” It is a valley where you will feel outnumbered and feel all alone. Job went through this valley. Job 23 says “But if I go to the east, he is not there; if I go to the west, I do not find him. When he is at work in the north, I do not see him;when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him.“ Job was desperate to catch a glimpse of God. But he couldn’t find him. Elijah went through this valley when he heard that queen Jezebel is planning to kill him. He ran for his life and prayed that he might die. When God met him in this valley he complained that he is the only one left. Elijah felt outnumbered and alone. Elijah experienced this valley experience soon after one of the greatest victory he ever had. Just before this, God answered Elijah’s prayer by sending fire and Elijah killed several prophets of Baal. It was a resounding victory for Elijah and everyone stood in awe of him. But soon after this mountaintop experience Elijah went through the valley experience. You will always go through a valley experience either before or after your greatest victory. Throughout the bible you can see people achieving greater things before and after a valley experience. Joseph was a good example of who achieved great things after a valley experience. He was falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife and put into prison before he became the prime minister of Egypt. All the great names of the 21st century you read at the beginning achieved great victories because they refused to stay in the valley. There is something special about going through a valley. Although it is often painful, lonesome and long, you will learn some precious truths which will build your character and make you a stronger person. Although sometimes you will feel the Lord is away from you in the valley, he is always close to you in the valley. Because his word says “He is close to the broken hearted.”

Therefore what you do in this valley really matters. What you do in the valley differentiates you from other person. Also remember that you are not to stay in this valley but to go through it. So there are some precious truths you need to learn about this experience. Kidron valley is:

1) A valley of absolute surrender

Jesus prayed “Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”  Elijah prayed “I have had enough, LORD, Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.”

It is a valley where everything hurts but you need to go through it. It is a valley of absolute surrender. This is where your perfect obedience will be tested. You will learn to say “you can have it all. You can have everything in my life. If you need my throne, I will gladly give it away and walk humbly with the Lord.” The bible says “But David continued up the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went; his head was covered and he was barefoot.”  David showed what absolute surrender actually means. He left the throne and walked with his head covered and barefoot. In other words he simply said “You can have it all Lord. I absolutely surrender to you.”

2) Valley of unknown

In verse 25, 26 of this story, King David said to Zadok, “Take the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the Lord’s eyes, he will bring me back and let me see it and his dwelling place again. 26 But if he says, ‘I am not pleased with you,’ then I am ready; let him do to me whatever seems good to him.”

There is a lot of uncertainty in this statement. David didn’t seem to know what was going to happen. He doesn’t know what lies ahead of him. His entire future was uncertain. He is in a valley of unknown. The night before he would have slept in his palace and ate a feast at his table. But now he needs to find a place to rest and plan logistics to feed himself and the whole family with him.  This is almost like David going back to his olden days when he was running away from Saul. He could have questioned God “why do I need to go through this?”. “Why do I need to start from the scratch?”. “Why did God ever ask me to become a King?”. “Why are men so ruthless and heartless?”.

It is a daunting step to abandon everything and start from the scratch. David took that daunting step and he is walking through a valley of unknown! That is the valley of Kidron! You need to go through it. Sometimes we need to take that daunting step. We need to step into that unknown.

Apostle Paul talked about this valley of unknown in Acts 20:22 “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me.However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.”

In other words, Paul said I don’t know whats going to happen but none of these things will stop me and I will still go ahead and fulfil my calling. If you are facing a big question mark in your life. Take heart! You may not have the answers for everything in your life. But you still need to keep moving forward. Let not the uncertainty slow you down. 

3) Valley of reality

It is a valley where you will realise who is your loyal friend and who is not. You will come to know who really cares for you and who does not. You will be able to find people who have been showing superficial love for selfish gains and you will also find the ones who sticks closer than a brother.

Verse 31 says “Now David had been told, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.”

This must have been a shocking blow to David because in those days Ahithophel was highly regarded and his advise was like that of one who inquires of God. On the other hand, he also found some loyal servants. Verse 19 says “The king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why should you come along with us? Go back and stay with King Absalom. You are a foreigner, an exile from your homeland.20 You came only yesterday. And today shall I make you wander about with us, when I do not know where I am going? Go back, and take your people with you. May the Lord show you kindness and faithfulness.”[c]21 But Ittai replied to the king, “As surely as the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king may be, whether it means life or death, there will your servant be.”

Ittai’s loyalty must have been a soothing balm for David’s wounds. But on the other hand David must have been crushed in spirit that Ahithophel sided with Absalom. This must have ruined David’s reputation among his own people and many would have questioned David’s leadership. But David didn’t lose heart. He understood this was all part of the Kidron valley experience. Sometimes you might have to lose people from your life. People may not understand your calling. Irrespective of this you need to keep going in this valley. You cannot get stuck in this valley. Your calling is between you and God. As long as you have God in your life and you are in tune with him keep moving forward. As long as the Word is kicking alive inside of you keep moving forward.

David also came across a man called Shimei who cursed David as he went along the way. The bible says “Shimei pelted David with stones and cursed him saying ”Get out, get out, you murderer, you scoundrel! 8 The Lord has repaid you for all the blood you shed in the household of Saul, in whose place you have reigned.The Lord has given the kingdom into the hands of your son Absalom. You have come to ruin because you are a murderer!” This must have been a heart breaking experience for David. It came in a very bad time as David was already at the lowest point in life. That is all part of the Kidron valley experience. You can expect people to strike you with cruel words at the lowest point of your life. David leaving the palace was not the only painful experience. But it was more painful for David to meet all these people along the way who cursed him for his actions. Shimei even used some religious words saying “The Lord has repaid you… The Lord has given the kingdom.” His words seemed “very true” and “factual” and must have jolted David’s faith and confidence. But nothing seemed to have stopped David from moving forward. His relationship with God was so strong that he could face any fiery darts of doubts of the enemy and quench it.

If there are people in your life speaking such words against you and hurting you don’t let it bother you. In the valley, you will be insulted and talked about. In the valley you will be outnumbered. Let it not stop you from moving forward. Just ignore them and keep moving forward. It doesn’t necessarily mean that they are evil or wicked. But they might have acquired wrong information or they might have been misled and you can only pray that God will reveal the truth to those people. If your relationship with God is strong, you may not have to be afraid of such “facts” and “religious” words they quote. If you are in this valley of reality take heart for it is in this valley your character will be made strong. You will be elevated above all those people who have stooped themselves to speak against you. So keep moving forward.

4) You cannot afford to get distracted

When Ahithophel started to conspire against David, Absalom gained more advantage naturally. The bible says, “Now in those days the advice Ahithophel gave was like that of one who inquires of God.” So this was the advise Ahithophel gave to Absalom against David. “I would choose twelve thousand men and set out tonight in pursuit of David. I would attack him while he is weary and weak. I would strike him with terror, and then all the people with him will flee. I would strike down only the king and bring all the people back to you. The death of the man you seek will mean the return of all; all the people will be unharmed.”

Note Ahithophel’s words and how he plans to attack David. “I would attack him while he is weary and weak. I would strike him with terror, and then all the people with him will flee.” If you are in a valley experience it is very important that you are not distracted but remain vigilant. You cannot get weary and tired and you always need to refresh yourself by waiting on the Lord. The bible says “Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength.” Because there is an enemy who is planning to attack you. There is an enemy who is waiting for you to get distracted and get weary and tired.

It is also worth to note that when David was cursed by Shimei, his commander Abishai said that he should kill Shimei. That would have been a bad move for David because it might have given more grounds for Absalom and Ahithophel to spoil David’s character and win peoples hearts. Instead David replied saying “My son, my own flesh and blood, is trying to kill me. How much more, then, this Benjamite! Leave him alone; let him curse, for the Lord has told him to. 12 It may be that the Lord will look upon my misery and restore to me his covenant blessing instead of his curse today.” David refused to react against Shimei. He ignored Shimei and continued walking even though Shimei was pelting stones at him. David realised that he is a King and he doesn’t have to react to an insignificant issue and stoop himself down. David refused to go backwards and behave like a shepherd but chose to behave like a King. It is very important that we ignore all distractions and focus on our calling.  The enemy will try everything to pull you backwards in your calling by giving you distractions. You cannot afford to get distracted by every single person throwing stones at you.

Although it may sound as though Ahithophel had a better plan against David, it was not the end of the story. In the same way, the enemy can only plan and conspire against you. It might look that they have all the strong people. But the bible says “No weapon forged against you shall prosper.” In another instance David said “When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall.”  Therefore take heart that he that is in you is greater than the one in the world. But irrespective of this, you need to guard yourself against all sorts of distractions the enemy is throwing at you while you are in the valley.

5) A valley where you can do nothing but pray

Verse 31 says “Now David had been told, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” So David prayed, “Lord, turn Ahithophel’s counsel into foolishness.”

This is the same David who jumped into action when he saw a giant named Goliath threatened his people.  But here you can see David praying and leaving the matter in God’s hands. In the valley, you will be at the end of your own self and you won’t have any strength to do anything on your own. Because you are outnumbered, out skilled, left alone, talked about, ridiculed, cursed using “religious” words, accused that you are repaying for your sins and you will have nothing to do but pray! But don’t undermine the power of prayer because in the valley the Lord will act on your behalf when you pray. The Lord will fight for you. The Lord will do the planning and orchestrate things for you and you only need to be still and trusting God. That is what David did. He prayed and left the matter in God’s hands. That was the only thing he could do. But that was all he had to do. Chapter 17 and verse 14 says “For the Lord had determined to frustrate the good advice of Ahithophel in order to bring disaster on Absalom.” Isn’t that amazing that the Lord heard the faint and small prayer of David and acted on his behalf. The Lord was determined to frustrate the advice of Ahithophel because David had prayed so. The Lord will act on your behalf! There is power in your prayer. He will not be silent until what you prayed for is accomplished. The prayers you pray in the valley are very powerful and it will take your battle to whole another level.

In the book of second Chronicles chapter 20, there is a story about King Jehoshaphat facing a vast army. Jehoshaphat immediately prayed a beautiful prayer saying “For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.” The Lord answered to his prayer saying “‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. 17You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.”

In short, the Lord said “I will act on your behalf!”.

Samson thought he lost everything when his eyes were plucked out and he was asked to grind in the philistine prison. This was a valley experience for him. He prayed a simple, short but powerful prayer. Samson prayed, “SovereignLord, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.”

The Lord did answer Samson’s prayer and he killed many more when he died than while he lived.

Jabez had a painful past and his very name itself meant “pain”. The bible says “Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.”

If  you are in a valley experience and you don’t have the desire to do anything and you think all your options are gone remember you still have a powerful option left! You can pray. And the Lord will act on your behalf!

May be you are facing a similar situation like David where you suddenly lost everything and people are planning and working against you. Or may be you lost your job and debts keep mounting. Or may be you received a doctors report which is worrying. Or your marriage is falling apart. I don’t know what you are going through. But you were once like a King enjoying all the goodness of life and all of sudden life has been bit unfair and you lost everything. You are like king David who left the throne and walked barefoot with his head covered. But the story didn’t end that way. David didn’t finish his life in the Kidron valley. He returned to his throne after God gave him resounding victory and put his enemies to shame. God was faithful to the promises he made to David and he made him king again. God’s word to you is “The King will return to his throne”. But the real King is not you or David in this story. This story was never about David. The real King was God who was working in David’s life. When David left the throne, God left that place and he was with David. When David walked barefoot God walked with David. When the enemies conspired against David they were actually messing with God. Even though David actually left the throne the calling of God and the promises of God were kicking alive and burning brighter. In the same way, God is walking with you in this valley. As long as the calling of God and the Word of God is kicking alive, your story won’t end in Kidron valley. The King will return to the throne!