Taking all of Life in Stride

Scripture Verses that caught my attention today: 2 Samuel 15:14 Then David said to all his officials who were with him at Jerusalem, “Get up! Let us flee, or there will be no escape for us from Absalom. Hurry, or he will soon overtake us, and bring disaster down upon us, and attack the city with the edge of the sword.”

AND

2 Samuel 16:5-6a When King David came to Bahurim, a man of the family of the house of Saul came out whose name was Shimei son of Gera; he came out cursing. 6 He threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David;

AND

2 Samuel 16:11-12 David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “My own son seeks my life; how much more now may this Benjaminite! Let him alone, and let him curse; for the LORD has bidden him. 12 It may be that the LORD will look on my distress, and the LORD will repay me with good for this cursing of me today.”

Observation: David’s own son Absalum had turned on him and was endeavoring to take over the kingship, to the point that David needed to run for his life. At this low-point in his life he also had to put up with the cursing of a man from the family of his former rival, Saul. So David was really getting kicked when he was down, though it didn’t seem to bother him too much; he just took it in stride.

Application: We’ve all heard sayings like, “when it rains it pours” or “if it’s not one thing, it’s another” or “misery loves company.” Call it Murphy’s Law or whatever you will, there are times when it can seem like nothing is going right. In such times it’s hard not to feel overwhelmed and either lash out in frustrated anger or retreat into a state of depression and isolation. Our world is full of the affects of either extreme. Perhaps we’ve offered our own contributions a time or two.

David’s example in these two chapters offers an alternative response. Although he is not oblivious to the threat and immediately takes appropriate action (in this case running for his life), neither does he let the circumstances totally overwhelm him. As he deals with the reality of his own son’s betrayal, he chooses not to engage in conversation with this other lunatic guy from Saul’s camp who would be impossible to reason with anyhow. Instead David trusts that the Lord is ultimately in charge and that things will just have to sort out however the Lord sees fit.

Indeed they will, as we will read in the chapters to follow. Still, for the high and low alike there’s some heartbreak to be found in much of life’s experiences, as David himself will most surely be able to attest. Yet he will continue to bless the Lord.

Whenever we find ourselves in such seasons of life, we would do well to do the same.

Prayer: Lord, seasons come and seasons go. Over the course of life we experience many of them. In all seasons help us to place our trust in you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

(Readings today included: 2 Samuel 15-16, Psalm 32, and Matthew 25)