Daily Thought

David was perplexed! For three years there had been barrenness in the land. To David there seemed to be no rational explanation. But he knew where to go in his perplexity. ‘David enquired of the Lord’. Why had he waited so long? We would have thought that the Lord would have been his first resource. Even so, better he acted now than too late! It was not long before the cause of the trouble was revealed and the requirements necessary to remedy the situation were taken. The blight was removed, and the harvest restored. The cause of the famine was the withdrawal of God’s favour, resulting from Saul’s wrong treatment of the Gibeonites, long before. David did not hesitate to put matters right.

There is a useful lesson in this for us today. When we are baffled about our circumstances, prayer is a vital means of seeking God’s guidance. Do you ever find the word ‘problem’ in the Bible? Yet references to prayer are numerous. Wrongs had to be righted, but it was no good enquiring of the Lord if the king had not been willing to obey. Yet the word is precious, ‘Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee’, Ps. 55. 22. How many times have such words been our comfort!, cp. Ps. 37. 5. The pathway to be taken was severe, even brutal. Innocent lives had to go. This was costly obedience, yet the pathway of obedience is always costly, and never easy. But such a way is the only way to blessing.

We are confronted with the fact that David needed a wisdom greater than his own. Events were not of his ordering but he realized action was necessary. As the king saw the sorrow of Rizpah, he acted in righteousness to the memory of Saul and Jonathan by gathering their bones and burying them in home territory. God responded by opening heaven’s blessing. Do we need wisdom today to act rightly? James chapter 1 verses 5 to 7 are so relevant. God gives liberally with no withholding. We may pause to ask ourselves if our ‘enquiring’ of the Lord, our seeking for His help, comes first in our reckoning. Or is it our last resource? ‘David enquired of the Lord’ - a wise course. The Lord was waiting to bless. Stores of grace are there for our asking.

Thought: - Turn your problems into prayers; burdens can be turned into blessings.