II Samuel 1-2
Turmoil! After Saul and Jonathan are killed in battle, David returns to Hebron with his men – and becomes king over Judah. At the same time, Abner, the son of Saul’s commander makes Saul’s son, Ish-bosheth, the king over Israel.
And they fight. And they fight.
In all of this, however, David still shows his character. First, he calls for a fast and mourning over Saul and Jonathan. Even though Saul had made himself his enemy, David honors him as God’s anointed. Such humility.
Then after the mourning, though he knows that God has anointed him king, David inquires of the Lord if it is time to go up. He doesn’t run ahead of God. He waits on the Lord’s direction.
David never loses his faith in God and his desire to walk with him. All of the confusion and hardship that have been in his life don’t deter or discourage him. He knows that God has a plan, and he is following it – with patience.
Don’t you want patience like that? I do!
Luke 14:1-24
Busyness and distractions. These can be the greatest hindrances to our walk with God.
In our modern society, life runs at an incredible pace. We have obligations everywhere. Everyone is working hard and playing as hard as they can afford to.
Children are involved in sports, arts, music, and lots of other activities. The parents are always in a rush getting them there, and assisting the programs along…after working all day.
So who has time for God?
We need to take time!
The most important part of life is that connection with our Maker and following His plan. The time we take to worship, pray, read His Word, and follow His instructions has to come first.
So it’s important to carve out time that’s only His. We can be mindful of Him as we go about our days, but we need to take some time just for our Father. We need to listen to Him and heed what He is saying.
Sometimes that means losing an hour’s sleep or dropping an activity, but it’s all worth it.
I want to partake of His banquet, don’t you?
