Leaders Who Listen

 2 Samuel 18; Psalms. 56; Matthew 27 

“…The king told the troops, ‘I myself will surely march out with you.’ But the men said, ‘You must not go out; if we are forced to flee, they won’t care about us…you are worth ten thousand of us. It would be better now for you to give us support from the city. The king answered, ‘I will do whatever seems best to you.’…”

2 Samuel 18:2-4

David’s first impulse as a leader in battle was to lead from the front. He had proven his courage, creativity, and self-control over decades of leadership. However, in the battle to deliver Israel from his own son Absalom’s coup, David let his men lead him. The longer we lead, the less freedom we tend to have. Those whom we serve and lead help us define our best contributions. David’s best contribution was to provide support from the city while his men fought in the forest of Ephraim.

In defining our best contributions, are we listening to those we are leading?

“Lord Jesus, thank you for the humility and grace with which you served and led. Fill me with that same grace to listen well to those I serve and lead.”