Grace in a Barren Place
Looking at 2 Samuel 7, we found David enjoying a brief time of relief from the demands of his role as king…an interlude of quietness. Now we find him in a similar context. He was thinking back over his past.
Looking at 2 Samuel 7, we found David enjoying a brief time of relief from the demands of his role as king…an interlude of quietness. Now we find him in a similar context. He was thinking back over his past.
Some experiences in the Christian life are a mystery. Nothing is necessarily wrong or missing in your walk with the Lord, but for some unexplainable reason He places a definite restraint on you. His denial can lead to disillusionment or be used as a cause for continued growth in obedience. David experienced that mysterious “no” at a crucial juncture in his life. Let's see how he handled it.
Each one of us faces our own kinds of temptations that threaten to lure us away from God's best for us. Chuck Swindoll describes sure ways to resist these lures.
The chapter of Scripture 2 Samuel 6 involves all that transpired in moving the ark to the capital city and David's response to its presence.
Demons cannot possess a believer. They do not have the authority to do so. The believer belongs to Christ, and neither Satan nor his demons can reclaim one who belongs to the Lord.
No one has ever known the experience of being promoted from a fugitive to a king overnight. It happened only once in Scripture—to David. With wisdom and humility, the new king took over a new throne because he had the same Lord.
In our study of David, we have come to the crossroads in his pilgrimage from the sheep to the throne…from an Israelite fugitive to the highest office in the land. And it is a death that altered David's direction—the death of King Saul.
As we continue to faithfully seek Him day-by-day, week-by-week, and month-by-month, let us not grow weary and like Hudson Taylor be strong and courageous remembering the Lord our God goes with us and He will never leave or forsake us.
No matter who you are or where you are—regardless of what you have been through, what you are going through, what is going on around you, or what is going on in our world—you can live a meaningful life of faith aimed after the heart of God.
Several lessons emerge from the story in 1 Samuel 27 as we learn from David's cloudy days and dark nights.