In God’s Hands

In God’s Hands

Reading: 1 Samuel 27; Psalm 141; 1 Chronicles 9; Matthew 10 5 One day David said to Achish, “If it is all right with you, we would rather live in one of the country towns instead of here in the royal city.” 6 So Achish gave him the town of Ziklag (which still belongs to the kings of Judah to this day), 7 and they lived there among the Philistines for a year and four months. (1 Samuel 27:5-7 NLT) David had once again spared Saul’s life and reaffirmed his respect for Saul’s God-appointed authority. Saul had once again spoken words of remorse, but with no change of heart. Saul’s “remorse without repentance” reminds me of the words of John the Baptist to the people, “Do works that show true repentance.” So David took his men and their families and left Israelite territory. He went to Achish of Gath and asked for refuge from Saul. Achish gave David the small country town of Ziklag and David made it his headquarters and “…lived there among the Philistines for a year and four months.”

God had chosen and anointed David to be Israel’s next king. He had served King Saul faithfully, honing his military skills, learning to lead well, and securing Israel’s territory. But King Saul feared and hated David and was determined to kill him! David refused to attack Saul with words or weapons when he had the opportunity. In fact, he avoided conflict with Saul whenever he could. Now David chose to leave the arena of conflict altogether and go Philistia, settle in a small obscure town, and wait to see what God would do. By choosing to leave the arena of conflict, it would seem that David was letting go the dream and walking away from the call and purpose of God. Not so! David was simply putting it all in God’s hands – his safety, his provision, his ambitions, the call and purpose of God. How will God do it? It’s in God’s hands. How long will it take? It’s in God’s hands. What will happen in the meantime? It’s in God’s hands. David in Ziklag – Everything in God’s Hands. Prayer: Father, Please help me to trust you with everything. Like David, I want to put it all in your hands and simply live each day as you want me to live. I trust you with my ‘now’ and my ‘then’, with my needs and my wants, with my hopes and my dreams. Amen!