2020. What a year! Can I get a recall? Just kidding. Hmmm. Maybe not. 🤔
I was thinking about the 2020 year. This is how I summed it up. To me, it felt like I was playing cards. I was just dealt a hand that I did not want but I couldn’t change. I had a choice to make. Do I fold and give in? Do I quit? Do I throw a tantrum and start throwing my cards all over the place? Y’all know people like that, too 🤣 Or do I play and make the best of it? Like cards, throughout the 2020 year, I did have choices to make. But unlike cards, my choices had nothing to do with chance. One choice I made, and still am making, is to remain persistent. Purposeful. Purposefully doing what I need to do to stay fit physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Like keeping a healthy, daily morning routine. Most days ☺️. Or like doing my hair 🙅🏽♀️ as if I am going somewhere. 2020 was a year of the unforeseen. Again, I say, what a year! But, guess what family? We made it through. 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 Yes, nevertheless, we endured. Happy New Year 2021! 🥳💜😷 I pray you continue to be Strengthened and Encouraged in HIM throughout 2021, Liz Less than two weeks to go and we will be closing out the 2020 year. Can you believe it? Me, I just want to take a moment to “Thank You”. I pray that you have been blessed by the posts this year. Again, thanks for all the love and support shown throughout the year thus far. Y’all are awesome. 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah. Now the spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the LORD tormented him. 1 Samuel 16:13&14 ESV
Yes, the LORD sent the torment. And one of David’s initial assignments, after being anointed, was to soothe Saul who was being tormented. Saul. A man saddled with outburst of anger. A man with jealous tendencies which caused him to react in haste, and lend himself to making poor decisions. A man, who at times, behaved as if he might be just a tad bit imbalanced. 🤷🏽♀️ Imagine that assignment! David’s journey was definitely filled with the most unusual tests, traveling in unusual paths, yet tied to the plan and purpose of God for David’s life. I was thinking, sometimes, the things that happen in our lives are just a set up by God. Yeah. That’s it. Our path to purpose, I might even call it Our unusual path to purpose, is just a set up by God. My prayer, God, is that you would help me to be like David. Help me to keep my eyes on You. In every situation. Remind me, often, of the unusual path that David traveled from shepherd boy to king. Help me to know that you are working everything out in my favor. Even when it’s hard to discern. Help me to keep my heart right, do what is right, stay focused, and wait for You to work, as I journey on my path to purpose. In Jesus Name, Amen. Be Strengthened and Encouraged in HIM! So, what do we know about David prior to him reigning as king over Judah and Israel?
We know he was the shepherd boy tending his father’s sheep. We know his father didn’t even invite him to the sacrifice held by Samuel. We know he was a song writer and worshipper and lover of the Lord. We also know that David had a heart for God. We know he was a warrior. Oh, and how can we forget, he spent time being hunted down like a criminal by Saul. Just a short list of what we know about David prior to becoming king. And every assignment, every day for that matter, was used to prepare David for his purpose. His purpose of being king. We are no different. God uses life experiences to prepare us for our purpose, too. All kinds of experiences. Not just the good. So, today, let us choose to live life knowing every day is purposefully preparing us for destiny. Be Strengthened and Encouraged in HIM! 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! As I pondered on the not so heroic chapters written on David’s life, and in the life of others throughout the Word of God, this is what I penned:
It is when we allow ourselves to be vulnerable, exposed, and share our not so heroic stories, we encourage others and give them the strength to press on. Be Strengthened and Encouraged in HIM! David arose and fled that day from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath. The servants of Achish said to him, Is not this David, the king of the land? Did they not sing one to another of him in their dances: Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands? David took these words to heart and was much afraid of Achish king of Gath. And he changed behavior before them. And pretended to be insane in their [Philistine] hands, and scribbled on the gate doors, and drooled on his beard. Then said Achish to his servants, You see the man is mad. Why then have you brought him to me? Have I need of madmen, that you bring this fellow to play the madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house? 1 Samuel 21:10-15 AMPC
Picture this. David. Worshipper. Psalm Writer. Slayer of the giant. Warrior. Anointed to be king. Now, pretending to be insane. Then a little later David decides to go live in enemy territory to get away from his enemy (Saul). But David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape into the land of the Philistines. 1 Samuel 27:1a AMPC Here we have examples of a man’s life filled with interesting moments, to say the least. Yet, nestled inside these stories is a word of encouragement. We can be encouraged. Encouraged because David’s past did not determine his future. Encouraged because nothing David did stopped God from allowing David to become king. None of it stopped God’s purpose for David’s life from being fulfilled. Father, Thank You for these words of encouragement. Thank You that we are not discounted based on our past. Thank You that our past does not determine our future. In Jesus Name, Amen. Be Strengthened and Encouraged in HIM! In 1 Samuel 24, Saul goes into a cave not knowing David and his men are in the same cave. While Saul is sleeping, David cuts off the skirt of Saul’s robe and afterward David is remorseful because of what he has done.
He said to his men, the LORD forbid that I should do this to my master, the LORD’s anointed…when he is the anointed of the LORD. (excerpt from 1 Samuel 24:6) Wow! Bet David’s men had to think about that. I imagine they are thinking this guy has hunted you down like a dog and here is your chance to get rid of him and you what? Saul then leaves the cave without even realizing what has happened. David goes out of the cave and calls Saul. David addresses Saul as my lord the king and David stooped with his face to the earth and bowed. Basically, in my words, David says, “Man, if I wanted to kill you, you would’ve been dead! But God chose you. You are a king by Divine right. I honor God.” Now, get this. David had yet another opportunity to hurt or kill Saul. The second time David takes some of Saul’s things and then presents them back to Saul. Kind of like saying, “Gotcha again!” David had opportunity to kill Saul twice and both times he didn’t because David saw things from the perspective of much greater than himself. David did not allow any negative seed to even germinate in his heart. Possibly a seed of bitterness or a seed of revenge. It didn’t matter what was going on. It didn’t matter what Saul did, how Saul was was acting or reacting, David honored God. David’s character, even towards someone who wanted him dead, was to honor God. In closing, I leave you with these words of inspiration. Let your life honor God even if you have to do it alone. Be Strengthened and Encouraged in HIM! |
Hey There! I'm LizFounder of Ezra728 with a purpose of creating inspiring messages to strengthen and encourage primarily us gals across the globe. Guys, don't fret. You are definitely welcome, too. Archives
March 2021
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