Are you watching, listening, and adapting to new situations? (108-4)

A leader’s life is filled with unexpected circumstances and situational twists. Any leader that does not consider a plan “B” as they develop and implement plan “A” is lacking leadership experience or, at a minimum leadership wisdom. Situational leadership is not the easy road. It demands the leader’s careful attention to the current situation and an eye to the potential negative or positive changes to that situation in the near and distant future. Read 1 Chronicles 19:1-20:3

David was a well established king in Israel and had peace or at least non-aggression arrangements with most of the neighboring nations. This situation changed with one neighbor when Nahash, king of the Ammonites, died and his son Hanun succeeded him. David read the new situation and quickly sent a delegation to meet with Hanun to insure his intentions for relations with Israel were the same as his fathers.

Hanun was an inexperienced leader with inexperienced advisors and did not read the situation quite as well as David. Israel was a stronger nation militarily and Nahash had treaties in place for a good reason. Hanun disgraced the members of David’s delegation and sent them home embarrassed.

David responded quickly to the changed situation with the Ammonites; the hostile actions of Hanun toward the delegation from Jerusalem required David to move from peace and reward toward conflict and retribution.

Wise leaders are intentional about situational leadership. They understand situational leadership requires watching and listening. Leaders who can analyze a situation and adapt their leadership activity to address it can function effectively at a high level in their leadership role. Wise Christian leaders understand that their projections will not reliably carry them far into the future, but they have confidence that they serve a God who is surprised by nothing and who holds the future in His hands and they stay connected to Him.

Proverbs 21:1(lb) “Just as water is turned into irrigation ditches, so the Lord directs the king’s thoughts. He turns them wherever He wants to.”