DAILY READING
REFLECTION
David Has God's Approval
by Judy Webb
We humans are a fickle lot. One day we pledge our allegiance to the God of our forefathers, and the next we are caught up in idol worship. If you have been reading along with us these past few months, you recognize the behavior and perhaps even identify with it. Human emotions bounce all over the place and often are out of control.
Today, we are studying from 2 Samuel 5:1-5. If you remember, not that long ago the people were demanding a king to lead them. As God told Samuel, “But when they said, ‘Give us a king to lead us…it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected Me as their king.’” (1 Samuel 8:6-7) Their first king, Saul, lived up to the picture Samuel painted to the people for what to expect from a worldly king. God led them from love. But Saul, not so much. Now, Saul is dead and David is in line to take on the job of King of Israel.
In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the LORD said to you, “You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their leader.” (2 Samuel 5:2)
The time is right, all conditions seem perfect. Even the people of that unpredictable Israelite nation, with their often-faltering faith, agreed. They recognized David as a true Israelite, and they knew he had God’s approval. They celebrated how David fought for them. They pledged to follow him as he led them for the next 40 years. We'll have to read further to determine if in fact they did continue to follow him.
Now, back to us and our erratic ways. When things go as planned, we see God as our loving Father. But when we enter a season of difficulties and strife, our faith can take a beating. We may forget how faith and our character flourishes during our trials. We want smooth sailing and calm seas. But no one learns how to navigate troubled waters this way. It is when we find ourselves at the end of our rope that we turn to God and hang on for dear life, until it all becomes clear and we have God's approval, too.
PRAYER
Dear Heavenly Father,
Open our eyes to your goodness and love. Give us a spiritual vision that sees you as our one and only answer to questions of life. Teach us to seek out your word every day and then listen for your wisdom to fill us. Come Holy Spirit. Amen.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JUDY WEBB
I have been a member of UALC for 26 years and have been writing devotions for this site for about 17 of them. Writing is my passion. As retired staff I still love everything about UALC and its members including my small group.
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