+DEV+ Difficult Directions

Date: January 10, 2011 10:48 PM
Topic: +DEV+ Difficult Directions

Difficult Directions

"All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him" (1 Samuel 22:2).
Scripture Focus: 1 Samuel 22:1-4

It's easy to expect God to simplify our lives when we're trying to serve Him. Burdened by the weight of our problems, we think God's leading is only evident when He lightens our load. Yet King David's life became increasingly hard while he followed God. God led him through long periods of waiting and seemed to send additional challenges in the meantime.

God chose David to be Israel's second king, but He didn't create an easy path to that position. Not only did David have to wait years before becoming king, he also had to run for his life much of that time. We might expect God to at least give David strong, powerful, and respected men to lead while fighting enemies. But God assigned David the distressed, the indebted, the discontented.

There's no record of David questioning if he had misunderstood God's leading. He willingly worked with those God placed in his path. David followed God - and led God's people - confident in the character of God even when life was hard.

Insight: Ask God to help you see your less-than-desirable circumstances as gifts from Him and opportunities for growth.