Laced With Grace

The next day a harmful spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he raved within his house while David was playing the lyre, as he did day by day. Saul had his spear in his hand. And Saul hurled the spear, for he thought, “I will pin David to the wall.” I Sam 18:10-11 ESV

King Saul was very jealous of David. David’s growing popularity and success was driving Saul mad, literally. This led to David being forced to flee and live in the wilderness like a common criminal. David was out in the wilderness FOR YEARS.

God planned to have David as the next King. But things did not look good from David’s standpoint. How would you feel if you were David and you were banned for years to a certain wilderness? Many of us are sitting in the middle of a very real wilderness. Maybe it is the wilderness of cancer, or the wilderness of infertility, or the wilderness of MS, or the wilderness of financial ruin.

God has a plan for our life, just like he had a plan for David’s life. Time in the wilderness can not thwart what God has planned, and nothing can interfere with God’s timing. Know no matter where we find ourselves we are in the palm of God’s hand. Also the battle is not for us to fight, God will make sure things happen according to HIS PLAN.

So how did David feel while out in the wilderness? These are his words:

Psalms 34 (NIV)
17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
19 A righteous man may have many troubles,
but the LORD delivers him from them all;
20 he protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken.
21 Evil will slay the wicked;
the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
22 The LORD redeems his servants;
no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.

Heavenly Father, no matter what wilderness we find ourselves in may we know that you are in control and you have us in the palm of your hand. Help us not to give up, but to persevere knowing that NOTHING can change the plans you have laid out for us. Take control Lord. Amen!

If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” John 15:10-11 NIV

A guest speaker, a Missionary from Africa, asked a very compelling question to our church congregation, “If God comes looking for you today, will He find you in obedience?”

Sometimes God lets us have our way, even when it is out of disobedience to show us that we don’t always know best. In 1 Samuel, the people wanted King Saul instead of a king that God anointed. King Saul was rejected by God for having no regard for the Lord’s will and being disobedient. God gave him a specific command, to destroy the Amalekites and everything that belongs to them. But Saul brought back the best of the sheep and cattle and said it was for a sacrifice to God. God did not want King Saul’s sacrifice over obedience. The Lord gave him clear instructions, destroy everything. King Saul simply did not obey. And because of his disobedience, the kingdom was taken from him and God now had the scene set for King David to come in.

In stark contrast to King Saul, David was found being obedient. With the direction of the Lord, Samuel then went to anoint one of Jesse’s sons as the next King. After seeing all seven of Jesse’s son and not one of them being the chosen one, and exasperated Samuel asked, “…Are these all the sons you have?”(1 Samuel 16:11). Jesse replied in the remainder of verse 11, “There is still a youngest….but he is tending sheep.” There was David, in the place of obedience. Tending the sheep like a good Sheppard boy. He had no idea how God would use his obedience as a Sheppard in the years to come.

God was training David, even in the fields tending sheep, for what God’s ultimate will would be. It was through defending the sheep from lions and bears that David killed Goliath. It was in those times that David was able to grow in his private relationship with the Lord. And the Lord used David in a mighty way very publicly.

We all know that David was not perfect. He certainly had his share of times walking out of disobedience to God’s will. We are not perfect either and there are certainly times we tend to walk away from God’s direction. Some run, like Jonah did, in the opposite direction. Others walk slowly away. Still others, choose to be obedient in most areas and disobedient in one. Either way, anything less that total obedience is disobedience.

After the service, many commented that the message spoke to them. It did to me. My private time with the Lord is the most important thing I can invest time in to know where God is calling me to be obedient. Still, I falter every day, in one form or another.

The missionaries that spoke at our church all had similar prayer requests. While many of them are waiting for their opportunity to go to the country they are called, they asked for prayer to remain faithful and obedient to God now. They asked for prayer to not be anxious and excited because they want to be in that country now. They asked to be obedient in the waiting. Sometimes we are simply tending sheep and waiting for the next stage in our life. No matter what we are doing or where God is calling, let us be able to answer the question YES! When God comes looking for us, we are being obedient to Him – here and now.

Dear Lord, Thank you that your mercies are new everyday. Thank you that you sent Jesus as the sacrifice four our unfaithfulness and disobedience. Thank you that Jesus is the promise of forgiveness and the grace to go on in the steps of our mistakes. Please make your will and your path clear that we may walk in your perfect will everyday. Lord, let those who come behind us, find us faithful and obedient to You. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

‘Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” And he said to them, “When you pray, say:

“Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread,
and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation.”’
~Luke 11:1-4 (ESV~emphasis mine)

Several years ago I had a problem with the particular part of the Lord’s prayer…“And lead us not into temptation”. Although I have been praying the prayer since childhood, I couldn’t wrap my mind around that God would lead us into temptation. He loves us, He wants to spend eternity with us…So, I did a little research on this part of the passage and I found this on StudyLight:

The word here translated “temptation” (Peirasmon) means originally “trial” or “test” as in James 1:2. Braid Scots has it: “And lat us no be siftit.” But God does test or sift us (emphasis mine), though he does not tempt us to evil. No one understood temptation so well as Jesus for the devil tempted him by every avenue of approach to all kinds of sin, but without success. In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus will say to Peter, James, and John: “Pray that ye enter not into temptation” (Luke 22:40). That is the idea here. Here we have a “Permissive imperative” as grammarians term it. The idea is then: “Do not allow us to be led into temptation.” There is a way out (1 Corinthians 10:13), but it is a terrible risk (taken from Robertson’s Word Pictures of the New Testament)

Yes, the life of a Christian is not without any trials and temptation, but Jesus has set the example how to withstand those temptations: Holding on to the Word of God and trust Him that He will bring us home…

Lord of Heaven and Earth. Sometimes You need to sift us, just like You had to sift Peter. Lord, even though those times can be very draining and discouraging, I know that You make us stronger through them. Lord, the only thing I ask is that You keep me close to You and help me not to loose faith — no matter how bad it gets. I cling to the promise that You will never leave or forsake me. In the precious name of Jesus ~ Amen.

Blessings on your day and as always…