Our Attention

04.25.12

1 Samuel 30.6 6 Moreover David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, for all the people were embittered, each one because of his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God. NASB

Sometimes it just takes a good old-fashioned train-wreck to get our attention – when David least expected it, the Amalekites raided and kidnapped his wife and children (oh, and everyone else’s). David was utterly defeated and for the first time perhaps, in a long while, David came to his senses: he was not the body-guard of a Philistine; he was the anointed of the Lord to rule His people: Israel.

So, it says, David strengthened himself in the Lord his God; smart move, D. Like everyone from time to time David had his moments, both good and bad. This was a combination of the two and got him to see that his charade with Achish was over, and there was more important business to attend to – like saving his family, and saving his life: David’s men were embittered!

In our moments of weakness it isn’t just us who gets affected: it’s also our family, our friends, our church, and to some degree, our community. And those who are counting on us may not understand the inner struggles we face; and to them, it seems it’s merely our abdicating of our commitment to God. David’s men obviously weren’t comfortable in the land of the Philistines and their leader’s decision to live among them. David’s men may have been confused over their leader’s decisions but now that their families and possessions had been stolen, they were downright angry.

David had been suffering from the effects of Saul’s threats and actions and now it was time to do something – especially when his men were bending down to pick up rocks to throw at him. Followers expect leaders to lead: in the right direction; in the safe direction; and in the best direction – followers follow… but they aren’t stupid – they can see inconsistency. David began to see the light.

You know, tough times call for tough actions. But tough times can also lead to irrational thinking and the proverbial plan B (which is really the new plan A after the original plan A is jettisoned.) As I read about David in these chapters it’s apparent to me that he seemed worn out by the incessant insanity of Saul and the murderous plots Saul made against him. Can you blame him? He’d been anointed as the next king but the throne may have seemed like a fantasy to him. It also seems to me that heaven was silent – or maybe he just wasn’t listening.

Let’s make no mistake about this great saint – he was a lot like the rest of us – man after God’s own heart and all. When we hear God but then things begin to move real slow it’s tempting to try to move them along a bit faster: that often leads to disaster; God’s timing is God’s timing and He doesn’t need any help from us. David probably caved to impatience. We need to be careful that we don’t follow him there. Impatience stirs emotions and being emotional impedes our being rational – oh yes, and being humble and patient: God loves those qualities.

Maybe that’s why stuff happens – because maybe the Almighty is attempting to get our attention to keep us from driving our spiritual bus off the proverbial cliff – just saying.