Are you a quick thinker? Would anyone ever accuse you of being rash in decision making? The truth is, we all have some tendencies to make quick decisions, especially when it is about something that we really want or feel strongly about. In today’s text, David is going to show up the opposite side of things, and we can see what the outcome is. In our text, David has already been anointed as king of Israel. He ruled there for a few years, before moving his home to Jerusalem, after defeating the Jebusites. Upon hearing that David is the new king, the Philistines decide that they want to test the new king. There might even be a measure of revenge desired after David had defeated Goliath years earlier. What we are going to learn from David today is what we should do before we act. 2 Samuel 5:19 says, “So David inquired of the Lord, saying, ‘Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?’ And the Lord said to David, ‘Go up, for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into your hand.” Did you see what David did before he acted? He prayed.
I can already hear some of your objections. You are probably thinking, sometimes I don’t have time to wait, I just have to make a decision. Some might be thinking, some things aren’t that big of a deal, so it’s not as important or necessary to pray about them. Yet, I would disagree on both fronts. Anything that we pray about is what we are trusting God for. However, the things we don’t pray for are the things that we are trusting ourselves for. The problem, among many, with trusting ourselves is that we are selfish. We often want what we want. Another issue is that all we can see is what is right in front of us. We don’t know what is coming tomorrow, next week, next month, or next year as I believe the last month of COVID-19 has shown us. Simply put, we aren’t in a position to make a decision ourselves, because we don’t have all the facts. As to the second objection, what may seem like a small thing now, can easily balloon into a very big issue. Maybe it isn’t a big deal now, but it could lead to more consequences down the road. So, what are we to do?
- Realize our limitations. We need to be honest that we don’t know what is coming in our life or in the world. It’s not that we aren’t smart. God has given us a brain. But the fact remains that we can’t see everything or understand every ramification of a decision before we make it.
- Spend time praying for your day before your day starts. It may sound strange or simplistic, but start your day off praying. In praying, turn the day over to the Lord. Ask for His presence and His guidance. Ask Him to help you be open to His will for that day. The Scriptures are full of promises from God to His children to lead us and guide us in the way we should go. I heard a pastor one time talk about the “7 Up Prayer Method.” Spend the first seven minutes of each day praying over your day.
- Be open to course corrections. Sometimes, we are going to not pray the way we should. Sometimes we are going to make the wrong decision for any number of reasons. However, if we continue to pray for God to lead us, He will correct our course when we acknowledge we got off course, and seek His help.
God has brought you too far to let you down now. Take time to acknowledge Him, and that His way is best. While you and I may seemingly always be in a hurry, God never is. So pray, and be patient. God will not leave you, forsake you, and He won’t be one second late with the wisdom you need for the right way to go.
By His grace and for His glory,
Pastor Justin