Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Scripture- “Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.”- Psalm 25:5
“Insight: As we continue our look into the lessons of King David, and why he was the only person ever called “a man after God’s own heart,” in Acts 13:22, we need to consider why God said that about him. Yesterday we talked about David’s relationship with the Lord being built on authenticity. Today’s word is steadfast. David was steadfast in his pursuit and reliance upon the Lord, especially through long periods of waiting. The definition of steadfast “fixed in direction; steadily directed: firm in purpose and resolution, unwavering, as resolution, faith, adherence, etc. David modeled this for us throughout his life, especially when it came to fervent prayer. I often think I should learn to pray more like David, that giant-slaying, shepherd-king of Israel, who earned his Ph.D. in waiting on God. Reading his prayers shows us how it’s done. David teaches us to keep praying and to never give up. He shows us what steadfastness looks like. “I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and He turned to me and heard my cry” (Psalm 40:1).
David had to endure long periods of waiting on the Lord in his life. In fact, in the waiting David was utterly confused and many times cried out to the Lord- Why? What are you doing Lord? But the confusion David experienced was most likely part of God’s plan for David’s life to have him fully surrender his life to God and to wait upon the Lord and trust in his plan and His perfect timing. How many times do I struggle with this!. I want God’s will on my timeline and if being honest many times in my way. God must find it tiring to have to put up with my demands so often. I’m sure He’s often saying Douglas, be still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10) Scholars estimate there was approximately 15-20 years between the time Samuel anointed David to replace Saul as the King of Israel and when he actually became King. That is a long time to wait and many things happened to David during this time that severely tested his faith and belief in God’s plan and most likely led to great confusion and despair, especially when jealous Saul was trying to kill David at all costs. But David learned the great lessons that come from waiting on the Lord, especially during those seasons of life that made no sense to him. These times greatly improved his intimacy with and dependence upon the Lord. He learned to find great value in the waiting, which caused him to say things like “Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed” (Psalm 25:3) and “Wait for the Lord. Be strong and let your heart take courage. Yes wait for the Lord” (Psalm 27:14).
But is waiting on God like hitting the pause button on prayer? Not at all. If anything, the waiting intensifies and should make us more active in our prayers. It should draw us closer to God as we seek Him above all else in our lives. It doesn’t mean it’s easy, but it does mean we have nowhere else to turn when we come to the end of ourselves. That can be a very scary place but it can be a place where we experience the most growth in our faith. In those times and places of confusion in our life, we are in a place where fear and doubt can overwhelm us, but that is what can be used to turn us to 100% reliance on God to rescue us and show us the higher purpose for which we were born. 2 Corinthians 4:7-10 says that “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. This is a place where all of our inadequacies come to the forefront and so we must depend more deeply on God and His provisions than ever before. Let’s not sugarcoat it; when you are in this place it is very scary and very stressful. However, it will produce endurance and strength if we don’t give up and if we don;t waste the waiting experience. David is a great role model for us in this area. Great wisdom is imparted to us by God during these times. We can feel a direct lifeline to Heaven which courses through our whole bodies and invigorates us when we most need it.
Prayer: Father God, thank you for showing us what it means to be steadfast in our pursuit of and reliance upon you through your servant King David. May we try to be steadfast as well in our pursuit of drawing closer to you. In Jesus name we pray. Amen!
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