We learned last week how King Saul was in a desperate need of peace and a sense of security that it drove him to go see a banished witch at Endor. Today, we will zoom a little closer on his counterpart, David and how he was able to receive the Peace of God even in dire situations.
Many times, we are tempted to get really anxious due to the many things happening around us that we cannot seem to control; the Economy, the Pandemic, the Government, the Car Driver next to you on the Highway, your Boss…
There are a ton of things we cannot control. But think about it for a moment, what if you could control everything? Would you even have time to live a real life?
You couldn’t stay human if you could control everything, because if you could control everything and remained a human being, then there are about 7 billion other human beings just like you who would also be jostling for control over the very same things. God is the only one with the capacity to be in absolute control of all things whilst retaining the presence of mind and class to sit on a Throne! Such class!
That is one of the things God does on our behalf that releases a huge amount of space in our hard drives. Pretty much like uploading over 2 Terabytes of your data on to the cloud so that your system can stop hanging from processing a sea of data. Our minds and brains would crash if we were given the burden of God-hood! You couldn’t even “God” the Universe enough if you spent just one mili-second in office. That is why one of the most liberating and peaceful truths to share with yourself is that “There is only One God, and I am not Him!”
Real problems begin to surface when we attempt to play God in our own lives. You are only at best an actor in the movie of your life, God is The Ultimate Director! So, even when it comes to our lives and how to best manage it, we do well when we allow Him to take the lead.
“O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” — Jeremiah 10:23 KJV
Even though it is the man that is doing the walking, he is not the one directing himself. This is so liberating! God is the director of man’s moves, steps and direction. This is what David understood that freed him from the pressure and anxiety that come from the unknown! Even though he didn’t know all there was to know about his future, he knew enough about God to remain at ease in the present.
See what David says here;
“I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” — Psalms 37:25 KJV
What made David into this guy who just had this reckless Faith in God and His ability to protect, shield, guide and provide for him? Let’s examine a few;
1. He meditated on the things the Lord had done in the past: David literally knew all the stories of God’s exploits and miracles wrought for the children of Israel. His Psalms are filled with several recounts of these amazing stories of God’s deliverance. This is what empowered him against the Lion, the Bear and Goliath as well.
“Thou will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee; because he trusteth in thee.” — Isaiah 26:3 KJV
Each time we meditate on the things The Lord has done in the past, we create an extra layer of Faith and Trust in our hearts for Him. This is what Saul lacked. He forgot the faithfulness of God in the past. God was the one reminding him about how He brought him up when he was a nobody. It is always a bad sign when God is the one reminding us of where He brought us from. We must never be too far gone to forget where God took us up from. It keeps us humble and grateful. It also keeps faith in our hearts about where God is taking us to.
2. He spoke to God about everything: If David had not been the kind of guy who told God everything, he would literally have gone crazy. David’s life was really hard; running from cave to cave in order to preserve his life. Refusing to kill his arch enemy after getting the chance more than once to finish him off, just because he would rather trust God than fight for himself. David experienced a rich cocktail of extreme emotions and feelings. But the beautiful thing in all of his trials was that even in his pain, he would “rant” unto the Lord.
The same guy who did the ranting, eventually came around to do the encouraging and edifying of his own heart.
6. O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of Hermonites, from the Hill Mizar.
11. Why are thou cast down, O my soul? And why are thou disquited within me? Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance and my God.” — Psalms 42:6, 11 KJV
When we learn to speak to God in the intimacy of our prayer time, He typically responds by filling our hearts with His Peace. Peace is a communication from God to our hearts, especially when we really can’t understand what He has to say to us. There are a number of things God could say, but those things remain unfruitful to us because they are far above what we could conceive or understand. So, He instead sends a peace that surpasses human understanding into our hearts and that peace garrisons our hearts and keeps it shielded from external factors like fears and anxieties.
“Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” — Philippians 4:6 KJV
As you go into the week, I encourage you to meditate on the Faithfulness of God in your history as well as spend enough time simply chatting with The Lord. Learn to tell Him everything and soon enough, He will reassure your heart about all things. Only in His bosom can lasting peace be secured.
Do well to share with friends if this blessed you and have a productive week ahead.
God bless your heart.
Dami Oguntunde
@damioguntunde