The Best Yes…
I am once again, knee deep in the book of 1 Samuel.
1 Samuel holds dear to my heart because it was the very first book of the Bible I began to read back in 2012.
King David plays a big part in my sentiment towards this particular book of the Bible. Constantly, I am left in awe of his love for God, his obedience, and his discipline.
No, he was not perfect. Thank goodness, because then we would not be able to relate to David. He was flawed, very flawed. Yet, his heart was in line with desiring to please God at all costs.
Something though, has been illuminated to me as I read through 1 Samuel this time around. Something that I don’t remember noticing before.
Isn’t incredible how God can do this? How you can read a passage a million times and get something different from it? ONLY God’s Word has that power!
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
As I read about King David, I see that he often “inquired of The Lord”.
Every time David had a big decision to make, he talked to the Lord about it.
Now, remember, David was chosen by God to be the next King over Saul.
He was God’s anointed.
He was the youngest, the least likely, to be chosen.
Yet, God saw his heart.
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7
Wow.
Doesn’t this make your heart skip a beat??
I mean, who is not encouraged by this?
God sees the inward. He is not concerned about our physical appearance, like our culture.
He chooses based on the heart of a person.
Wow.
Ok, moving on. That’s another post for another day.
I noticed 9 times that David inquired of the Lord before he made a move.
David could have easily thought to himself, “I can do whatever I want. I have God’s favor and anointing! I can make the decisions here.”
Yet, he didn’t.
Before almost every battle, he asked the Lord, “What shall I do?”
Then…he waited on the answer.
Ok, so this can be the hard part for us.
The waiting.
Often, when we ask God of something, we do not wait for His answer.
We jump forward and start our own plan.
This can be dangerous.
When we do not wait for His answer, we get outside of God’s umbrella of protection. We also go outside of the umbrella of God’s divine connections for us.
We are not guaranteed the outcome or God’s favor when we pursue our own way.
I can certainly think of many times I have done this. Even “good things”, I jumped the gun, only to have it blow up in my face.
I have been impatient, and not waited on God’s leading an answer.
When we moved into our new neighborhood back in September, I was anxious to join a Bible study. I needed a way to plug in to this new town and new neighborhood.
Some friends and I had been praying for an opportunity for a Bible study for me to join for months.
Many times, I thought about jumping the gun and starting my own bible study here at my house.
However, every time I had that thought, I would feel a little prick of hesitation. (Hello, Holy Spirit!)
I remember talking to my husband about it and asking him what I should do. He didn’t really give me a clear answer either way. He just said, “keep praying about it.”
UGH. Not what I wanted to hear.
One day, shortly after we moved in, I had decided to move forward and reach out to some neighbors about beginning a Bible study at my house.
I was tired of waiting for an answer, and besides that, surely God would be ok with this plan. I mean, it was a “good plan!”
My husband came home and I told him “my plan”.
He said, “Ok, but let’s go check the mail and we can talk about it on our walk.”
Our mail room for the neighborhood is about a half mile away, so I agreed to walk and talk.
I told him all about my plans for the study on our walk. He just listened and nodded his head. Bless him.
We arrived at the mail room, and walked in.
As soon as we walked in he pointed at the bulletin board on the wall of the mail room.
I will never forget….he said…”There’s your Bible study, Jill. There’s your answer.”
One small pamphlet was left of an advertisement for a women’s bible study in our neighborhood.
I took it off the board and looked over the pamphlet.
The Bible study was starting that very next week!
I could not believe it.
The timing.
The waiting.
The almost jumping the gun…
Fast forward to today, this Bible study has been the best answer to prayer.
I am surrounded by godly, wise, women who encourage, teach, and spur each other on.
I would have missed out on this if I had pursued my own way.
If I had moved ahead of him, it may have turned out good. But, it would not have been His “best” for me.
It may sound like a little thing, but to me it was a HUGE thing.
An answer to prayer that I had prayed for months before moving.
God had a plan for me.
I just had to inquire of Him…then wait for the answer.
When we go to the Lord for direction about something, it creates intimacy in our relationship with Him.
Surely, it pleases the Lord that we seek Him for direction.
As a parent, I love when my kids come to me for advice or questions about something. I am always so glad to help! It shows me that they trust me. They know I will steer them in not just a “good” direction, but the “best” direction.
When we read about Jesus in the New Testament, we see that He is constantly going to God in prayer. Seeking His Will in all things.
Let’s learn from this.
Let’s put it into action.
Instead of going our own way, let’s begin to inquire of God before we take the next step.
He will direct our path if we let Him.
The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Psalm 37:23
Read that scripture again!
Every detail.
I am so encouraged by King David.
I am so encouraged to inquire of God and wait for His answer.
I am so encouraged that I am going to start right now! :)
inquiring and waiting,
jill
