There are so many people in this world who carry heavy crosses and are planted in the middle of deep valleys. Some are battling terminal diseases, facing the trials of addiction, or mourning the loss of loved ones, others have to flee their homes, abandon their children, and seek refuge in a foreign country. There will always be pain in the world, and we will never be enough on our own to fix it. The good news is, we don't have to.
David is my favorite biblical character. I am his biggest fan because he faces extreme trial with meekness and confidence at the same time. His best friend dies, this friend's dad wants to kill him, he has to join the enemy for survival, and his bae Abigail questions his worship style. These are just a few trials David faces on his journey to the thrown. Today let's look at a few highlights from the journey of David's life and see if we notice a pattern in terms of how he deals with tough journeys and tough decisions.
--Upon having to leave his best friend Jonathan because Jonathan’s dad, Saul, was trying to kill him, David escapes to the desert city of Keilah.
--Then David prayed to God: “God of Israel, I’ve just heard that Saul plans to come to Keilah and destroy the city because of me. Will the city fathers of Keilah turn me over to him? Will Saul come down and do what I’ve heard? O God, God of Israel, tell me!”
God replied, “He’s coming down.” 1 Samuel 23:11
--Later David is forced to join the enemy Philistine army, who are actually intimidated by his mad fighting skills (the whole Goliath thing was bound to come up over late night wine talks...) and end up sending him to guard the Philistine country while they fight. But when David arrives in the country he finds it's been raided! What does he do?
--Then David prayed to God, “Shall I go after these raiders? Can I catch them?”
The answer came, “Go after them! Yes, you’ll catch them! Yes, you’ll make the rescue!”
--A little while later David gets news that his best friend Jonathan and his dad Saul are both dead. This is one of the most gut-retching moments in the Bible because the author of 1 Samuel does a fantastic job of capturing the deep love Jonathan and David have for each other. Their friendship is straight from God. At this point David doesn't really know what to do with himself. So...
--After all this, David prayed. He asked God, “Shall I move to one of the cities of Judah?”
God said, “Yes, move.”
“And to which city?”
“To Hebron.”
2 Samuel 2:1
--And shortly after this move we get an update on David:
--The war between the house of Saul and the house of David dragged on and on. The longer it went on the stronger David became, with the house of Saul getting weaker.
--Eventually David settles in to his city, not knowing what the future holds, but knowing who holds it:
--"David made the fortress city his home and named it “City of David.” He developed the city from the outside terraces inward. David proceeded with a longer stride, a larger embrace since the God-of-the-Angel-Armies was with him." 2 Samuel 5:9-10
David faces a lot more trials after this realization. But what allowed him to reach this point of security and confidence in God was his continued conversation with Him through his previous trials. When he had nothing left in himself to carry on and no more stones to throw, he asked God for help. David didn't worry about being eloquent with God. This was his father, a closer friend than Jonathan. His relationship with God the Father was so natural and intimate he didn't worry about sounding fancy, he didn't worry at all.
Whatever you are facing today, do not worry about fixing it on your own. You may be on your last leg, about to give up; with no desire to move one more inch forward. And this is where God is glorified. Your relationship with Him can turn into something supernatural and Holy. Ask God straight out. Tell Him what you need.
"Open up before God, keep nothing back; he’ll do whatever needs to be done:" -Psalm 37:5
He is not looking down on you, but standing beside you, lifting your head so you may fight for more than an earthly cause, but a heavenly cause where you are sure to find life and joy, no matter how hard the journey.