Do we ask like David did?

(Psalms 119:82) …I ask, "When will you comfort me?"

The last few weeks have been a troublesome time for me, I have been restless and we know that is the opposite of peaceful. A fruit of the spirit is peace and therefore it is obvious to conclude that I have not been walking in the Spirit, for if I had been I would not be as impatient as I have been over the last two weeks. It would be good to look to another who often found himself in difficult circumstances and how he responded to them.

David is a great one to follow; one may be quick to think about what he did to one of his best soldiers and want to write him off, but I certainly won’t! We have this one very serious recorded incident and then so many positive God exalting happenings that exalt God and His working in a man’s life that I take great encouragement. Whenever I look at David and his understanding, as a man living on earth, of whom God was and obviously still is gives me great encouragement.

As a boy David killed bears and lions to protect his sheep; later on he destroyed Goliath with a slingshot; he ran from the king Saul and hid in caves to escape death; he later became king but acted like a man obsessed when he took another man’s wife to be his own, in fact to cover up his sin he had the man killed. All in all David had a very eventful life even at the end of it his son tried to overthrow his kingdom. His life was full of constant pressure; some of that pressure fell upon him so that God’s name would be glorified through David, whilst some of the unwanted trial of life befell him because of his own sin. This is something I can most certainly relate too. Many bad decisions leave us having pity parties about our lives, be that as it may, what can David teach me?

I believe it is this, when we are victorious in a particular area of our lives and we forget who has given us the victory we then tend to apply our own carnal principles to life and then we come tumbling down. This has been my experience far too often I would suggest, but Spurgeon saw something in David that I am now also seeing…

“And David enquired of the Lord.”

- 2Sa_5:23

When David made this enquiry he had just fought the Philistines, and gained a signal victory. The Philistines came up in great hosts, but, by the help of God, David had easily put them to flight. Note, however, that when they came a second time, David did not go up to fight them without enquiring of the Lord. Once he had been victorious, and he might have said, as many have in other cases, “I shall be victorious again; I may rest quite sure that if I have conquered once I shall triumph yet again. Wherefore should I tarry to seek at the Lord’s hands?” Not so, David. He had gained one battle by the strength of the Lord; he would not venture upon another until he had ensured the same. He enquired, “Shall I go up against them?” He waited until God’s sign was given. Learn from David to take no step without God. Christian, if thou wouldst know the path of duty, take God for thy compass; if thou wouldst steer thy ship through the dark billows, put the tiller into the hand of the Almighty. Many a rock might be escaped, if we would let our Father take the helm; many a shoal or quicksand we might well avoid, if we would leave to his sovereign will to choose and to command. The Puritan said, “As sure as ever a Christian carves for himself, he’ll cut his own fingers;” this is a great truth. Said another old divine, “He that goes before the cloud of God’s providence goes on a fool’s errand;” and so he does. We must mark God’s providence leading us; and if providence tarries, tarry till providence comes. He who goes before providence, will be very glad to run back again. “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go,” is God’s promise to his people. Let us, then, take all our perplexities to him, and say, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” Leave not thy chamber this morning without enquiring of the Lord. (C.H.Spurgeon)

What then is the lesson? We must never for a second forget who has saved us and who we have been saved from. O how I pray for a heart like David!

Signing off

Tyrone