Greater and Greater

Transcript

Hello, my friend… so glad you're with me today. This is By God's Call — day 117, Greater and Greater.

"And David became greater and greater, for the LORD of hosts was with him." 1 Chronicles 11:9.

Let that land for a moment. "Greater and greater." Notice the shape of that phrase — it describes a process, not an instant. David didn't wake up a powerful king overnight. He grew. Stage by stage. Victory by victory. Year by year. And this growth comes right after a decisive moment: David had just taken Jerusalem, and all Israel had acclaimed him king. It was the start of a new chapter. And it's exactly at that starting point that the text pauses to explain how that growth happened.

And look closely at the explanation the text gives — because it's surprisingly simple. It doesn't mention David's courage. It doesn't mention his military intelligence, his charisma as a leader, his ability to unite the tribes of Israel under one throne. All of those things were true of David, but the text chooses to set them aside. It credits the growth to exactly one cause: "for the LORD of hosts was with him."

One cause. Not two. Not a list of factors. One.

And notice the title used here: the LORD of hosts. This isn't just any name for God. It's the title that evokes total military power — the God who commands every army in heaven, who has at His disposal forces no human general will ever command. When that God is with someone, that person is not alone, even when it looks like they are. David had, at his side, a presence more powerful than any army on earth.

And that presence wasn't a one-time event. It wasn't a special blessing given once, on a coronation day, and then set aside. It was constant. It was with him — in the ongoing present tense, day after day, decision after decision, battle after battle. And that constancy is exactly what explains "greater and greater." David's greatness didn't come from favorable circumstances that happened to fall his way. It came from a presence that walked with him through every stage of the road, without a gap.

My friend, I want you to hear this clearly: your growth — at work, in your faith, in your character, in your relationships — doesn't depend only on your effort, though effort matters. It depends, above all, on a presence. The same presence that was with David is available to you today. The LORD of hosts hasn't changed His address.

So, before breakfast, I want you to say out loud, even if it feels too simple: "LORD of hosts, be with me today." And carry that sentence with you into the first hard task of your day — that tense meeting, that conversation you've been avoiding, that moment when you know you'll need more than your own strength.

Greater and greater is not luck. It is constant presence. And that presence is with you now.

Stay close to God. Pray — then act. I'll see you tomorrow, my friend.