Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 16:21-22, So David came to Saul and stood before him. And he loved him greatly, and he became his armorbearer. 22 Then Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Please let David stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight.”
Once David is chosen, anointed, and the Spirit is upon him, God begins to guide him to the place He wants him to be. How often have we asked, “What is God’s will for me?” How many of us have also asked, “What is God’s plan for me?” “What is my purpose in life?” Well, I will repeat what I have said in times before, “God’s will is in His Word.” That’s right. God has expressed, and made known, His will for us. It is spelled out for us, in black and white, in the pages of our Bibles. A few examples of God’s will for us are found in the following verses: Luke 9:23, 1 Thessalonians 4:13, 5:16-18, James 1:5, and 1 Peter 2:15. This is only a small list, but I encourage you to look these up and begin to search out the verses that expressly communicate God’s will for us. It is while we are obediently putting God’s will to practice in our lives that we will find out what His plan is for our lives. Note that with David, God did not reveal to him every step of what was going to happen in his life. This is a glorious time for David, as he is introduced to life in the palace, but he has no idea, at this time, that he will spend many years literally running for his life. We often want to know all the details of God’s plan for our lives, but I firmly believe that if God showed us, we would just curl up and hide from all the things we know are coming our way. The reason for this is that God give us the grace we need to meet the challenges He allows, but only in due time when it is needed, and not before. Proverbs 20:24 tells us, “A man’s steps are of the LORD; how then can a man understand his own way?” In other words, if God is directing our path and our steps, we do not need to understand everything that will happen along the way. If we are walking by faith, then there are things that God will allow that we simply have to accept by faith, knowing God has a purpose, even though He may choose not to reveal that purpose. David had returned to the life of faithful service in caring for his family’s sheep. He did not try to push doors open in order to make things happen. How many of us would have been this calm and patient? We live in a society of the “I want it yesterday” mentality. If we set our eyes on doing or wanting something, we go right after it. We pop our dinner into the microwave and in minutes it is ready. We want information, and with the click of a few buttons, we have it. Sadly, we treat God and His Word the same way when it comes to trying find out His plan for our lives, usually with disastrous results. In this instance we see that God opened the door for David to make his way into the palace. Not only did He open the door that led him to the palace, but He also gave David favor in the eyes of King Saul. David did not have to try and manipulate his way into favor with the king. In Genesis 39:21 we read, “But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.” Rather than trying to push doors that God has not opened, or trying to manipulate the favor of people, why not just live for the LORD, be vigilant, and prayerfully live in accordance to God’s will, as outlined in His Word? When we do this, we will make the most of our life here, and know that not a moment is wasted on empty plans that the Lord does not have for us. David was embarking on the beginnings of learning what it was like to live in the palace and sit on the throne. God was using Saul’s affliction and David’s faithfulness to put His plan into action and put the “man after His own heart” on the throne of Israel. We will later see by David’s actions toward Saul that he understood this quite well. Are we living life trying to bring forth plans that God does not have for us? Do we find ourselves being frustrated each day because our plans hardly ever seem to work out? Why not dedicate ourselves to praying, reading God’s Word, and applying His truths as we deal with others and deal with life decisions? We will be amazed at how clear God’s plan will unfold before us when we set our eyes on Him, and let Him be the One to open doors and give us favor with those He wants us to serve and serve with; all in His time.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
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