Posts Tagged ‘King David’

Believe it or Not, God’s Still in Control

Monday, May 24th, 2010

Later today I’ll meet Dan and Laura Sawatzky, a couple whose story I just completed for Power for Living. Dan went on a 2-week mission trip to Brazil in 2008 to build a church alongside several career missionaries. While there, he was involved in a near-fatal motorcycle crash. He was air-ambulanced back to B.C. where he contracted a “super-bug” in the local hospital. As a result, his recovery suffered major setbacks and he was unable to work for eight months (he was a self-employed contractor).

As I listened to Dan and Laura describe their harrowing experience, I realized how easy it might be for them to question God’s sovereignty in their lives. And yet, they maintained confidence that God had directed Dan to Brazil. They acknowledged His hand in every detail of the trip, and they expressed gratitude for His being in control despite how out-of-control the circumstances may have appeared.

King David understood God’s sovereignty, too. 2 Samuel 7:18-29 records his prayer to God; the words Sovereign LORD appear seven times (NLT). This knowledge of God’s character enabled David to respect Saul even when Saul hunted him like an animal. How easy it would have been for David to kill Saul and assume the royal throne, but he refused to step ahead of God’s timing. He respected Saul and waited to become king because he trusted God’s sovereignty over the details of his life.

What a great example for us! When difficulties come, it’s easy for us to get upset or to whine about life not being fair. It’s easy to retaliate against those who hurt us. It’s easy to act impulsively to try to calm our fears (I remember nearly leaving our year-round Christian camping ministry to find a “real” job when we ran into major financial setbacks). But really…if God is indeed sovereign over the details of our lives, then peace and confidence ought to be our trademarks.

Next time you feel afraid or angry at your circumstances, ask God to show you whether they’re the natural consequences of something you shouldn’t have done. If so, ask Him to forgive and grant the wisdom and grace necessary to move forward from that point. If not, praise Him for being the Sovereign Lord and choose to believe that He’s in control of your destiny.

How have you seen God’s sovereignty in your life?

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Devotionals | No Comments »

A Song in Your Heart

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009

King David wrote, “I will sing to the LORD because he has been so good to me” (Psalm 13:6). We could look at his life and say, “Yeah, I’d sing, too, if I was royalty and as wealthy as he was.”

Before we’re too unsympathetic, let’s step inside his head for a moment and see how he really felt sometimes: “O LORD, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way? How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? How long will my enemy have the upper hand? Turn and answer me, O LORD my God! Restore the light to my eyes, or I will die” (vv.1-3).

David may have been a king, but he endured a lot of difficulties and sometimes felt as though God had abandoned him. In the midst of his trials, however, he kept his perspective right: “But I will trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me” (v. 5). His heart, burdened with troubles, could sing because he looked beyond the tough stuff and focused on God’s goodness in his life.

Can we do the same? Can we sing to the Lord when our teenagers make lousy choices that carry far-reaching consequences? Can we sing when tragedy strikes? Can we sing when our finances take a nosedive, or when our dreams and hopes disintegrate?

The very thought of singing to the Lord in the midst of trials sounds ludicrous. As difficult as it may seem, however, it is possible. Even when we don’t understand or appreciate the direction our lives take, we can trust in God’s unfailing love and rejoice because He has promised to rescue us. We can sing because His goodness never fails. We can sing because He’s able to work all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. We can sing because His purposes are eternal, and because His presence is always with us.

Next time you feel like God has forgotten you, make a list of the things about which you can sing. Then do it. Read that list aloud to God and thank Him for His goodness. Guaranteed – your heart will be filled with joy and hope, and others around you will be blessed.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Devotionals | No Comments »

Not a Cheapskate

Wednesday, June 17th, 2009

“Cheapskate: a stingy, miserly person.”

If a cheapskate is a stingy person, then a cheapskate King David was not…especially when it came to spiritual matters.

The prophet Gad had told him to build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite (2 Samuel 24:18-24). So off he went, eager to obey. When David and his men arrived at the appointed site and told Araunah why he’d come, the Jebusite told him to use the threshing floor as he wished. Then he offered oxen for the offering, wooden yokes for the fire, and threshing tools. “I will give it all to you, and may the Lord your God accept your sacrifice,” said Araunah.

Most people would say, “Wow – thanks for the sweet deal!” But David wasn’t like most people. Rather than jumping at the opportunity to save a few shekels, he turned the freebie down. “No, I insist on buying it, for I cannot present burnt offerings to the Lord my God that have cost me nothing.” David then paid him 50 pieces of silver for the floor and the oxen.

I applaud David for his stance. It helps me understand that my relationship with God carries a personal cost, and I should be more than happy to pay it. After all, God was no cheapskate when He paid the price for my salvation with the life of His Son. Shame on me if I’m a cheapskate in how I live out that salvation.

Being a follower of Christ carries a cost. It might mean giving up a spare evening to invest time in the lives of hurting people. It may require dipping into a savings account to go on or to send someone on a short-term ministry trip. It might mean risking a reputation to publically defend a righteous cause, or be inconvenienced by practicing hospitality in the midst of a frantic schedule.

Being a Christ-follower means more than hoping for a free ride to heaven. It’s about recognizing and appreciating what our salvation cost God, and being willing to pay whatever cost is necessary to show our love to Him in return. May the term cheapskate never apply to us in spiritual matters, or otherwise.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Devotionals | No Comments »