Thank God, the Father, that:
(a) We have the Bible, both Old and New Testaments.
(b) We have the history of God’s dealings with His people of all ages.
(c) We have the Savior, the Son of God, who has been given to us for eternity,
(d) Who has redeemed us, predestinated us to salvation in Himself,
(e) Has “poured out His soul unto death,” thus has died the second death of the world,
(f) Has given us the gift of “the Comforter,” the Holy Spirit,
(g) Whose first work and thus the assurance of His presence is, that He convicts us of sin,
(h) And thus we know that we are not “orphans,”
(i) That we can pray “Abba, Father” and thus know that we have been “adopted,”
(j) That we have Psalm 130 and we can cry to God “out of the depths,”
(k) That we have the story of Gethsemane,
(l) That we have the story of the cross where the Son of God felt forsaken of His Father so that we may never feel that forsakenness.
(m) And thank God that we have the story of Ziklag.
David has been anointed of the Lord in his youth to be king of Israel; “the anointed of the Lord,” King Saul, has persecuted him mercilessly, and hunted him as though he were an animal. David has taken refuge in caves, has appeared forsaken of God. His anointing of the Lord has appeared to be only a joke. The deep pain of feeling forsaken, betrayed of God, has been inexplicably persistent, apparently endless and total and final (he doesn’t know that he is a symbol of Christ, that he must live out Christ’s coming rejection so that the grand and glorious Messiah must be “the Son of David”).
Now, Wall Street wouldn’t risk a dime on David’s future; his own men are talking of stoning him. Next to Christ at His cross, this seems to be the most disconsolate situation any servant of God has ever gotten himself into.
So what did David do? (a) He prayed, “bring me the ephod.” God responded, he felt certain that he must chase those who carried his family captive (he overtook them and saved his family). (b) David “encouraged himself in the Lord” (see 1 Sam. 30:1-6). When you feel that your life is in ruins as David’s was, count what you still have as gifts from the Lord. At your worst, you’re better off than many are! Say thank You to the Giver.
Be sure to check your e-mail for "Dial Daily Bread" again tomorrow.
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