LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?
THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
1. If you are open, God will get you where you need to be (1 Samuel 29-30; 1 Chronicles 12:19-22).
In 1 Samuel 29 David was rejected by the Philistines just before he was set to join a battle with them against the armies of King Saul. Apparently, according to 1 Chronicles 12:19-22, some men from Manasseh actually broke away from Saul and joined David leading up to that battle. Whatever David's actual plan was at this point, it would have been incredibly difficult for him to ever assume a tenable place as Israel's chosen King if he had actually participated in a battle against Israel on behalf of the Philistines. So right when it appeared that this would be the case, the Philistines all of a sudden decided to send him away. And not only did they send him away, but they allowed him to go freely. This was likely God working behind the scenes to take David, his willing servant, out of the conundrum that he had got himself into, and to get him into the correct position going forward. The events of 1 Samuel 30 also appear to be part of God's providential work on behalf of David: though it seemed like a further setback at the time, the Amalekites' raid against Ziklag had some improbable elements (for example, "They killed no one, but carried them off," 1 Samuel 30:2), and the battle that ensued actually gave David what he needed to make a gift to the towns of Judah to be welcomed back into their midst--just as Saul was about to be killed in the battle that he had recently been prevented from participating in (1 Samuel 31). If any of these events, which all occurred together, had not happened, David would have had a much more difficult time becoming the leader of the united tribes of Israel. But instead everything happened the way that it needed to. If we are open to God's leading, and we are committed to serving him with a humble and willing heart, we can trust that God will take us where we need to go. This is the case even when, as in 1 Samuel 29-30, it appears that God is giving us a series of road blocks (i.e. the rejection by the Philistines and the raid against Ziklag). Don't despair, but trust that God is working in this situation and push forward. There is likely something even better than what you had planned around the corner.
2. God will arise in his own timing (Psalms 13 and 12).
Psalm 13 asks, "How long, O Lord?" in reference to David's desire that God would act on his behalf. It must have seemed at times like God had abandoned him--he was living outside his homeland, rejected by the people that he had joined with, his city had been raided, his wives were captured, and the people wanted to stone him to death. But David also knew the truth: that though God seemed to be absent at the moment, his strong arm would be revealed in time ("I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation," Psalm 13:5). Then in Psalm 12, David wrote the God would arise and return his poor, plundered, and needy people to safety (Psalm 12:5). Though our situation might appear dire, we know who we trust in. If we perish, God will bring us into glory. If we err, God will direct our steps. If we are prevented from moving forward through spiritual warfare, God will fight on our behalf. We can deal with all manner of setbacks by committing ourselves to trusting in him.
DO | HOW DO WE RESPOND?
How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? IN OUR ATTITUDES, we can adopt a posture of "active faith." In contrast to passive faith which sits back and expects God to move (and this is not always a bad thing; sometimes it is the only thing that we can do), an active faith presses ahead and looks for opportunities and actively looks to overcome obstacles, while believing that God will "show up" in unexpected ways to direct our steps as we go ahead. This is the posture that David seemed to have. He was personally proactive, and yet he was also responsive to how God might be directing him through the various circumstances, opportunities, and roadblocks that he encountered. This seems to be a good "sweet spot" for people who have faith in Jesus to maintain, as it avoids inappropriate passivity on one hand, while keeping us from a stubborn attachment to our own plans on the other.
PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US TO GOD?
Whether in response to anything pointed out here, or to something else in your Bible reading time, take a few moments before you close up your Bible to pray in response to God. If you need a format for prayer, both the ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication), CALL (Confess, Ask, Love, Listen), and PRAY (Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield) methods are helpful ways to stay consistent.
-Sean
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