And the king said to the guard who stood about him, “Turn and kill the priests of the LORD, because their hand also is with David, and they knew that he fled and did not disclose it to me.” 1 Samuel 22:17 ESV

Imagine being the guard and posed with this question:  Should I disobey the king or do I fear God?  

Imagine the thought process.  Okay, so, if I disobey the king I am dead.  He is either going to kill me or he will surely make my life a living hell.  But if I dishonor God I might as well be dead. 
But I know God and my faith and trust is in Him.  This might mean I suffer, but, oh well, ultimately, I honor God.  

In the end, this guard did not obey Saul.   The text doesn’t say what happened to him but honestly that’s not the point.  This man had, to me, a life-altering decision to make and he chose to honor God.

So, that is my takeaway:  With every decision I must choose to honor God. 

Yes, we must choose to honor God in every decision we make in our lives.

Be Strengthened and Encouraged in HIM!

Okay. Let’s go back.  Back to when God sent Samuel to anoint David as the next king.  

So, David is anointed.  

Then David lived a number of years waiting for God’s purpose to be fulfilled.  At one point it looked as if it would never happen.  

Samuel knew David’s destiny was to be king.  Even Saul knew David was destined to be king.  

But, yet, sometimes we have to wait.  Many times there is a wait.  David had to wait.  David had to trust God in the wait.

Maybe there is something you know you are called to do, but it just seems like it’s taking much longer to come to fruition than you ever anticipated. 

Tick tock.  Tick tock. So, what do you do?  Trust God in the wait.  Simple, but yet sometimes so hard to do.  Trust God in the wait. 

​Be Strengthened and Encouraged in HIM!

So, David is living in enemy territory now (see 1 Samuel Chapter 27).   A day comes when the Philistines are going to war against the Israelites.  And picture this: David is marching right along with the Philistines (the enemy) to fight his own people.   

​I suspect David doesn’t know who the Philistines are going to fight.  

At one point the princes of the Philistines decide that David cannot come with them.  

When David is told that he cannot come he is upset.  He wants an explanation.  (See 1 Samuel Chapter 29)

I have to laugh at this.   I thought about all the times I have questioned why?  Why can’t I go? What have I done?

Imagine if David went to war against his own people, the people he was anointed to reign over as king.  I am thinking, when the time came for him to reign they might be reluctant to loyally serve him.  🤔

You know what I find so amazing, though.  God used the Philistine lords (the enemy) to protect David, and God also used the Philistines, in this same battle, to disarm Saul.  

David never realized what was about to unfold.  David did not see the bigger picture.  See, shortly thereafter, David started his reign as king.

Sometimes, things don’t go the way we think they should.  In those times we need to trust that God knows what He is doing.   I know.  I know.  So much easier to say than to do ☺️ 

Be Strengthened and Encouraged in HIM!