December 11, 2024

Running with the King’s Heart

Second Samuel 18 is a sad chapter. King David’s traitorous son, Absalom, is killed and his coup overthrown. A “runner,” as they called them back then, needs to run with the bitter-sweet news to David: “The rebellion is over, but your son is dead.”

A fast, gifted runner named Ahimaaz wanted to carry the news, but David’s general chose an unnamed Cushite, and off he went. Ahimaaz, however, was not to be denied: “Please let me also run” (v. 22). The general finally said okay, and Ahimaaz took off. He was so fast that he eventually passed the Cushite and proudly delivered the message to David that the coup was over. “Speed” had won…or had it?

When David then asked about Absalom, Ahimaaz answered with embarrassment that he didn’t know. He hadn’t cared enough to find out about David’s son! The Cushite then arrived and gave David the full message: “The coup is over, but your son is dead.”

Ahimaaz was very fast. He started last but arrived first. This gifted man ran in vain, however: "You will have no reward for going," the general had said (v. 22). Ahimaaz didn’t have the complete message. And he didn’t have it because he was not aligned with the king's heart. David had not only defeated an enemy, he had also lost a son. Ahimaaz eventually stepped aside in ignorance, insignificance, and embarrassment as a nameless individual took center stage and delivered the complete message.

Our message will always be deficient in some way if it isn't connected to the King's heart. I'm speaking, of course, of God our King. The pleasure of God is and must remain the ultimate goal of our running. The glory and exaltation of the Son must be our desire. His passion and priority of harvesting sons and daughters into the family must become ours.

God is willing to share His heart for America and the worldwide harvest with those who desire it. But beware - His heart is broken. When God touched my heart with His on October 4, 2000, I wasn't ready for what I felt. I thought mine was going to break in two. When He was finished, I had become a man with a cause - and ruined for life. Yes, ask for an impartation of God’s heart, but know that when you receive it, it will cost you.

Why Are We Running?

Why are we “running,” laboring for spiritual causes? Is it for personal fulfillment, fame, glory, self-aggrandizement, to make a name for ourselves? Or are we, like the Cushite in this passage, content to remain nameless? Is our motive advancement, a position to display our gifts or our speed? Are we wanting to build something big?

In Philippians 3:14, Paul said, "I press toward the mark" (KJV). His goal, or “mark,” as he called it, was clear. In verse 12 (NASB), he said, "I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus."

The Gift Mentality

Unfortunately, the charismatic movement, as wonderful as I know it was, gave many a gift mentality: We ran on the strength of our gifts. The very word "charismatic" means "grace gift." This often led to a performance mentality: running to set records, to be first, to be the best, to be the biggest. "Build 'em big and build 'em fast!" became the mindset of many in the church. Overnight sensations were, and in many ways still are, the order of the day. There is nothing biblical about this mindset! Persistent, progressive, hang-in-there, long-term building should receive more honor than something produced quickly. Sadly, it does not. But far more character is needed to build a work or ministry over a long period of time than to enjoy something that springs up quickly.

One of the basic problems with this unbiblical philosophy of success, aside from its inherent pride and self-exaltation, is that if any part of our vision is born from ambition rather than God's heart, we are soon running for ourselves, not the King. Zeal that was originally intended to do something for God, often becomes a zeal to remain successful. This change can be so subtle it frequently happens without us even realizing it. The church in America is inundated with ambitious Ahimaazes - people running for their own fame and success rather than for God’s heart.

Vision for the future must not be our starting place. Vision, born of God's heart, must be our starting place. The questions we must continually ask ourselves are: How well do I understand and relate to the King's heart in this matter? Is that, and that alone, my motive for running? Was His heart the birthplace of my vision? Our speed or giftedness NEVER validates our running.

Holy Hubert

Hubert Lindsay (“Holy Hubert”), a gentleman used greatly by God in the early days of the Jesus People/Charismatic Movement, exemplifies a life lived according to God's heart. “The Jesus People Movement” was used by God to bring thousands of drug-addicted, sexually active, disillusioned, and rebellious young people into the Kingdom of God.

Like King David, who was not called by his father to join the “Potential King Pageant” (see 1 Samuel 16), nothing about Holy Hubert's appearance or personality caused him to stand apart. But like David, he possessed something more important: God’s heart for a generation.

I once had the privilege of hearing Mr. Lindsay speak. He told of his calling to minister on the University of California at Berkeley campus, and spoke of the miracles and salvations. He mixed in some humor, and we all laughed, cheered, and applauded. What impacted me most, however, was a passing comment Holy Hubert made about how his ministry at Berkeley had been birthed.

"I became so burdened for this generation," Mr. Lindsay said, "that I would walk the streets of the campus - sometimes all night long - weeping and interceding for those lost kids. I pled with God to save those young people." God had given this man His heart for a lost generation.

The Lord answered Hubert’s cry - because it was His own - and gave him a revival. Church historians agree that the Jesus People movement was incredibly significant in the entire spiritual renewal of the '60s and '70s. And when tracing the roots of The Jesus People Movement, one invariably ends up at Berkeley with Holy Hubert Lindsay.

Lindsay’s burden cost him dearly, however. His broken heart led to broken bones - not to a large salary or a huge congregation. Lindsay and his wife were beaten on numerous occasions, stabbed, mocked, and ridiculed as they preached the gospel on campus. His wife eventually suffered brain damage from this, and Holy Hubert lost his sight due to the beatings. Just as the apostle Paul, they bore on their bodies the marks of the Lord Jesus (see Galatians 6:17).

The Lindsays picture for us the principle of running with the heart of God, allowing that to become the motivation for ministry. This releases pure revival, keeping it free from the debris of pride and selfish motivation.

The Charismatic Movement’s overall weakness in this regard, however, resulted in a generation of Christians who believed giftedness qualified one for ministry. Character and God’s heart were replaced by other priorities and motivations, which inevitably led many to build personal kingdoms. A cooperative heart was superseded by a competitive heart. Travailing, agonizing prayer was replaced with innovation and the strength of our gifts. Last, and probably most tragically, success was measured not by how well we knew the Father but by how well-known we were.

Speed, fueled by ignorance, raced forward out of control and with deficient messages. Ahimaaz passed the Cushite, and the King wept. Now, we are in desperate need of an alignment; our fast-moving, state-of-the-art churches are pulling hard to the right and left. A "presence" revival, built around intimacy with the King and His version of success, will be required to correct this.

Pray with me:

Father, like an automobile traveling down a well-worn road, the potholes of undealt-with ambition and desire for success knock us out of alignment. Before we know it, like Ahimaaz, we are running for our own fulfillment, not Yours, speeding down life’s highway in search of self-worth and success.

Passion for You will correct this. We believe this has begun. As it continues, our hearts will burn for You, not for our own fulfillment and personal kingdoms. Religion will be replaced by relationship; intimacy with You will be our desire and the fuel for our activities. Give us Your heart for lost and hurting people. Give us Your heart for the broken, wounded, and confused. Give us Your heart, even for the rebel. Break our hearts for them - give us many who will walk the streets, weeping for those who are so lost. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Our decree:

We decree that the heart of God is being imparted to the church, making us nameless, faceless, and powerful.

Portions of today’s devotional were taken from my book Praying for America,(1) which is no longer in print.

Click on the link below to watch the full video.

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1. Sheets, Dutch. Praying for America. Regal Books, 2001.