One Time... Again

1 Samuel 22:1-4 -  David left there and escaped to the cave of Adullam; when his brothers and all his father's house heard of it, they went down there to him.  Everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him; and he became captain over them. Those who were with him numbered about four hundred.  David went from there to Mizpeh of Moab. He said to the king of Moab, "Please let my father and mother come to you, until I know what God will do for me."  He left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him all the time that David was in the stronghold.

 

David ran from Saul…and he ran from the king of Gath. He hid from his enemies in caves…like the madman he had pretended to be. And while he hid…he cried out to the God he knew was one day going to make him king of Israel. He must have remembered the days he sat with his sheep …and how music soothed them when they were agitated…for some of the most lovely songs in the world were written in some of these caves. The music must have given him strength…and courage…to wait on God’s timing…to wait until all the pieces of God’s plan to be in place.

 

It dawned on me as I considered God’s message to me in this chapter...that I know one of the reasons God said David had a heart after his own.  He took in over 400 men to his hiding places…and provided for them…and probably taught them to pray and depend on God too. They were people that were distressed in some way…or in debt…or discontented about life in general.  They were drawn to this future king…not because they knew he would be king one day…but because they knew he shared their pain.

 

God used this pain to meld them together as a community…of people who loved God…and learn to allow God to provide everything they needed. God used this time to train his future king in not just military wisdom…he trained him how to transfer his skill of caring for sheep…to caring for people. God used this time to teach David to pray as never before.  God used this time to show others how much strength we can find if we rely on God…and not mere man.

 

I admit…that I don’t have God’s heart yet.  I sure haven’t learned how to pray like David…and I still whine way too much about the hard tasks he gives me to do…instead of seeing them as a training ground for some future job.  BUT…I am so thankful that God’s timeline allows me one more chance…to stop and consider just why he has placed me where he has…and what he may be teaching me with every task I see as useless to me in the future.

 

Father…I thank you for this day and anointed scripture that helps me understand that everything you have placed around me is in some way training me for something you need me to do for you.  Help me to stop complaining…and think instead of the anointed words of Paul… “ Do everything without complaining or arguing,  so that ‘I’ may become blameless and pure, a ‘child’ of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which ‘I’ shine like the stars in the universe.”  Help me to be like David…who was God’s light in those caves…drawing all the hurt and broken people to learn of his power to heal and provide.  Amen.