God’s providence, for David and all of us.

With no point of reference – you spoke and made light – from there the whole of creation forward – till the ultimate light was put out on a hill you created – so that we could all have the opportunity of experiencing your light.

”Yes, light in a way symbolizes so much of who I am. Darkness is the opposite – as much as I spoke light – I came as the light to bring the light home to each one of you. To remove the darkness from your whole being and replace it with My light. That is what is happening in the world where so much darkness seems to be ruling. I am still the light and I am bringing in my kingdom – person by person to be the bearers of My light. there is one who is fighting this with all his might and you are in the front line – yet at the same time he has already been defeated at the cross – and the battle is not actually yours – the battle is Mine – make use of the full armour I have provided – resist him and he will flee from you. My love is always supreme and victorious.”

After a severe battering with a clever scam on the internet this weekend, the message of 1 Samuel 29 is as relevant for me today as it surely should be for all of us.

We pick up the story which was launched at the beginning of the previous chapter where David is asked to go with Achish to fight the Israelites. The question which hung in the air was, how was David going to get out of this almost impossible situation? Remembering further back when he was taken under the protection of Achish he pretended to be raiding Israelite settlements but was actually raiding other pagan tribes. To hide this, he was forced to kill all the people in the tribes he attacked. Without making a judgement, it is quite clear that David wanted to avoid attacking his own people at all costs.

Today he can’t use that ploy. He is attacking Israel as a co-fighter with Achish. An almost impossible situation for him. The whole of ch 29 shows how God intervenes and gives David a way out without losing anything. The chapter ends with David returning home. What we will see in the next chapter is that when he gets home his people have been raided. So not only does he get out of the impossible situation with Achish, he also gets home in time to deal with this new situation.

It is clear that this is all due to God’s steering of events. His providence. But what can we learn about God’s providence in this and the other chapters we have studied for David, but especially for us?

Firstly, His providence is mainly aimed at completing the overall plan or purpose he has for the believer (Cf Roman’s 8:28) “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to his purpose“. In David’s case he was the chosen next Adam in the line to the final Adam, Jesus. He was the king which launched the kingly line which ended in Jesus. For each one of us God has a purpose and that purpose is ultimately shown in Rom 8:30. His purpose is our glorification in the presence of God’s glory.

Once a believer has entered God’s purposeful plan for his life, there is no mistake or sin that will ultimately prevent that plan from being realized. We just need to look at David whose path was anything but beautifully righteous. Yet God looked on his heart and called him a man after His own heart and took him forward from there.

Being part of God’s purpose for you and your life does not guarantee a life without challenges, remorse, grief and pain as well as huge joy. Hence the promise in Rom 8:28 that God is working out all these intricacies to finally accomplish His plan for you. There are various reasons we face these tribulations, as Jesus warned us; “In this world you will have tribulation but take heart, in me you will have peace”. Here are some reasons for that:

1. We live in a fallen world and are exposed to all the evil in that world.
2. God often uses trials and tests for the purpose of growing our faith.
3. He also uses “hardship as discipline” Heb 1:7. Treating us as sons/daughters, just as a loving father would treat his children.
4. We are soldiers in a huge cosmic spiritual battle which rages around us.

This is just a brief summary. We may all be aware of ways in which God has steered our lives in the past. Sometimes in dramatic ways. Having said that I believe Psalm 139 shows us that God is also intimately involved in our thoughts, heart’s desires, plans etc and that He is constantly tweaking events and circumstances by His grace as He leads us. Sometimes we may be aware of these interventions probably in many cases not. To achieve real peace in our lives we need to realize and believe in our hearts how awesomely mighty, wise and loving God is. He is not a superhuman, He is the Creator and sustainer of the whole universe, involved in everything, from the mightiest to the almost insignificant.

Do you sometimes feel He has left you out, or turned and looked the other way? I am sure we all feel like that from time to time. I certainly did at unguarded moments this weekend. That is why we need to depend on God’s word and not our feelings which can often let us down. May God bless you as you feed on this piece of juicy steak from God.