"It may be that the LORD will look on the wrong
done to me,
and that the LORD will repay me
with good for his cursing today."
2 Samuel 16:12 ESV
This is not the way a king should be treated. David's men were ready to defend their friend and God-appointed ruler of Israel against this man who taunted him. Wasn't it bad enough that his son Absolom was attempting to steal the throne away from him? Now this man named Shimei was bold enough to curse the name of the rightful king as they fled Jerusalem, not even letting them escape in peace. Instead, this bitter, angry man kept pace with them, throwing dirt in the air, hurling stones and giving David a piece of his mind. Obviously, as a supporter of the former king Saul, Shimei would not let David forget his past. (2 Samuel 16:5-14) Interestingly, instead of rising up in arms against Shimei, David lets it go, allowing the man to vent as they traveled. David decided to let God be the judge.
Today, we live in a world driven by personal rights. People will die fighting to defend their liberties and do whatever it take to protect their good name. God, however, is the one true Judge. Only He knows what is fair. Therefore, I can have the same attitude as David did instead of being so easily offended, letting God decide who deserves what.
Heart
It seemed good enough to me. I had never been to a powerlifting meet before entering my first competition, but I thought my squats were up to par. Imagine my surprise, then, when the head judge scratched me from the competition, concluding that my lifts were not performed to standard.
It's easy for me to be my own judge and jury, using my own sense of right and wrong to form an opinion about my actions. Only God knows the true state of my heart, separating the selfish ambition from the humble obedience, the decisions made out of fear from the acts of faith, the anxious spirit from the mind at rest. If I rely on my own judgement, I'll give a poor assessment.
Therefore, I am wise to simply trust God instead of depending on my own faulty line of reasoning, submitting myself to Him in all areas of my life. When I do so, the path He has marked out for me to travel will become clear. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
It is also important that I seek God's opinion of my motives and impulses, inviting Him to explore my heart thoroughly. As I let Him examine my inner-most thoughts and desires, He will determine what is driven by fleshly desires, where I am self-centered and anxious or how I am offending Him. Only then will I know the true state of my heart. (Psalm 139:23-24)
Once I have a more godly perspective of myself, I can seek God's restoration. Only He can redirect my desires, making them line up more closely to His. Only He can generate a passion within me for pleasing Him instead of myself. Only He can change my drive, replacing my craving for self-satisfaction with a longing to do His will. (Psalm 51:10)
While it may be easy for me to give myself a pass, only God can determine the true state of my heart.
Fairness
"It's not fair!" If I've heard it once, I've heard this cry of so-called injustice a thousand times. Children and youth have a way of seeing the world from a purely selfish point-of-view. Unfortunately, the years have not necessarily made me any wiser than they when it comes to judging the world objectively.
Only God knows what His children truly need at any given time. While I might think circumstances are too harsh, His wise perspective reveals the need for a sober wake-up call. When I judge a period of one crisis after another to be too much, He determines it is exactly what I need to learn to depend upon Him for my strength. Even if I think I can't wait another minute for relief, God's perfect sense of timing tells a different story.
Therefore, I can rely on my Father to give me exactly what I need just when I need it. Keeping this truth in mind helps when I'm facing the harsh that seems so undeserved, or the difficult that I judge as too much, or the hurting that I've determined is beyond what is reasonable. If I am to walk by faith, believing that God has my best interest at heart, I must trust Him enough to accept what He allows into my life, knowing that He will use it to transform me into the image of His Son. (Romans 8:28-29)
This life, then, is not so much about getting what I think I deserve. Instead, it is about receiving what I need. In place of focusing on my own comfort and rights, I must realize God is constantly in the process of molding and purifying me. While it is easy to get caught up with the worldly practice of defending my reputation, I can replace that pursuit with a quest for God's name to made well-known through the circumstances of my life.
Living in a world that encourages me to defend my rights warps a godly perspective that let's God decide what is necessary.
Glory
"I can't tell God how to get His glory." These words were all the more astounding considering out of whose mouth they were coming. My friend had lost her daughter in a cruel and violent way. In the midst of her suffering as she searched for answers, she came to the aforementioned conclusion: God knows how to best get His glory.
When the Lord delivered His people out of the hands of harsh, Egyptian slave masters, He could have done it swiftly and surely, supernaturally providing a way out for the nation of Israel. Instead, He chose to send Moses to appeal to the Pharaoh, performing signs and enacting plagues. By the time the whole ordeal was over, all the people of the earth knew the might and sovereign power of the God of Israel. (Romans 9:17)
In the same way, God chooses to work in ways mysterious to me in order to make much of His name. I don't always appreciate His greatness when things go smoothly and cleanly. When I'm at the end of my rope, however, out of options and at a loss as to how to proceed, I often discover the might of His hand as He delivers me through the storm.
If I were completely equipped and able to accomplish the impossible task set before me, how would God get the credit for my success? Therefore, He often gives me much more than I can handle so I must rely on Him, setting Him up for gaining the credit for all He has done. When people observe the outcome, they will be quite sure that such a feat could not be accomplished by mere human hands.
What if I enjoyed good health all the days of my life? Most people would assume I took good care of my body and tired hard to avoid harmful substances. Consequently, God might find it necessary to allow disease or chronic pain into my body, giving me a chance to rely on His strength. When people observe the peace of my heart in the midst of the storm, they will know such serenity is not human-generated but can only come from the Lord. (Matthew 5:14-16)
People will know the Lord is my God and realize His greatness when they witness the fruit of His presence in my life.
I naturally am compelled to seek out my own best interest, especially when the going gets tough. If I take a lesson from David, however, and give God the job of sitting as judge, I am acknowledging that only He knows my honest intentions, understands what is truly fair, and knows how best to get the credit for the good He generates. Therefore, I would be wise to live my life as if true justice belongs to the Lord.
As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can stop trying to defend myself and instead let God choose what is right for my situation.
How do I spend so much time defending myself that I fail to see God's hand at work all around me?
When do I steal God's glory by trying to avoid suffering?
No comments:
Post a Comment