O LORD, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells.
The feebleness of the churches is being criticized today, and the criticism is justified. One reason for the feebleness is that there has not been this concentration of spiritual energy; we have not brooded enough on the tragedy of Calvary or on the meaning of Redemption.
In this passage, David is convincing Saul that he can go fight against the giant, Goliath. He vividly described killing lions and bears while he was tending sheep for his father.
Think
It asks what one particular event, character, or feature of the story stands out to me.
I think it's always been David trying to wear Saul's armor. This actually kind of relates to the last entry. When we try to wear someone else's armor, we are, in effect, trying to be someone else. This is counterproductive, at best. David couldn't even move. I'm sure that it was quite a humorous picture, seeing David try to move around in armor made for someone probably several feet taller than him. Each of us has our own armor. David's turned out to be rather light. A lot of artists' renderings depict him in nothing more than a loincloth. That's all the armor you need, if it's made for you by God.
I'm asked if I'm drawn by David's courage. I'm certainly in awe of it. I'm asked if I'm repulsed by Saul's disbelieving "God help you?" I don't find that to be so disbelieving. I don't get that impression at all. I think Saul was in awe of David's courage, as well. There might have been some disbelief there, but I can almost hear Saul whispering those words, almost under his breath. "Go...and God help you!"
In light of my last entry and a nice note left by silverluna, God has shown me some things about myself over this long weekend.
He revealed to me that my efforts to get away from the place where I work full time are misdirected. You see, I'm only part time as a worship leader. The other job is the full time job. But I have been thinking real hard about going back to school to get a library science degree (I think it would be great fun to work in a library!). But that's not what God has called me to be. That's not who I am. I'm a worship leader. And God has shown me that I need to spend the time and energy that I would have spent worrying about getting another full time job concentrating on bettering myself at what I'm called to do, leading worship.
What a breath of fresh air! I felt liberated when that "little" conversation was over.
Pray/Live
There's a quote from Henri Nouwen, a great devotional writer.
Make the conscious choice to move the attention of your anxious heart away from [the] waves and direct it to the One who walks on them and says, 'It's me. Don't be afraid.'...Look at him and say, 'Lord, have mercy.' Say it again and again, not anxiously but with confidence that he is very close to you and will put your soul to rest.
What do I feel anxious about? Well, look at the last section. That whole thing has created a whole new set of anxieties (but good ones, mind you) as I ponder the direction of my life from this point on. But I'm looking at the One who is walking on the waves. At least for now.
What do you feel anxious about?
...do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.Philippians 4:6-7