Mountain man to king

I've been thinking about the period in David's life when Saul was on the throne, but God had Samuel the prophet annoint David as the next king. David, however, had to wait years before actually becoming king. I think it's hard to wait from Christmas Eve to Christmast Day so I can open my presents, could you imagine having to wait for kingship? Perhaps waiting to be king would not have been as difficult if Saul was a great and wise king that David could learn immensely from. Quite the opposite. Saul had turned from the Lord, and in several instances, almost seems like he was losing his sanity. Then because of his jealousy of David's annointing, leadership, and courage, Saul decides it would be better just to kill David and begins a man-hunt that lasts years. During the years that David is forced into hiding because Saul is seeking to kill him, there are at least two different incidents when David could have taken Saul's life. Saul falls asleep a few feet away from where David is hiding. All of David's men are encouraging him to take Saul's life and be done with it. He could take his place as king and everyone would probably be the better for it. Yet, David says no. Oh, he gives Saul a scare and lets him know that he could have taken Saul's life, but both times he refuses to lay a harmful finger on Saul. He proclaims that Saul is God's annointed and therefore to mess with Saul would be to mess with the Lord.

That leads me to this question,how could David resist the opportunity to kill Saul and finally take his place as king? Given the chance twice, David still said no. Why would he say no to this "shortcut" to kinghsip? Why wait for something when God had already told him he would be king?

I think the key to his restraint was that those years of hardship and trials created such a loving relationship between David and God, that even though he knew he would be king, he trusted God implicitly and refused to speed up God's timing. He was content in his present circumstances trusting God for his future circumstances. Even though he knew the end result was he would become king, he refused to do anything without the Lord's approval. It seems as though when God gives someone a calling on their life, many times his next step is to give them a hardship. In David's case, I believe it was those years that made him into a "man after God's heart." David relied on the Lord for everything from food and shelter, to his very life. Time after time, God strips everything away so that God is the only thing that person has left. Then, that person is ready to be used of God because God is the only thing in their life.
How many times do I feel as though I know the calling God has put on my life, the end result if you will, and so I become impatient, wanting that "kingship" position before God wants me to have it. I am moving ahead of God and have not cemented that foundational relationship with Him that is vital to survive. So, first, like David, I must learn to trust the Lord and love Him so much so that I am content in the job that seems meaningless, or the church that doesn't have a certain ministry, or the lack of a relationship, or the disease that can't be beaten. If we do not learn to be content with God where God has us, why should He ever move us? We will always seek something "greater" until we find God to be the greatest thing we can ever know. That was the key to David's relationship with Christ and without those years of being in the wilderness, perhaps, David never would have been the king that left such a legacy and example. So, when given the sudden opportunity to take a shortcut to your dream position, or even your God given calling, keep in mind, the mountainous road, is often the best.