"I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill his purpose for me" (Psalm 57:2, NLT).
"The LORD will work out his plans for my life..." (Psalm 138:8, NLT).
"So he will do to me whatever he has planned. He controls my destiny" (Job 23:14, NLT).
"But he knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold" (Job 23:10, NLT)
"This is not a reference to David, for after David had done the will of God in his own generation, he died as was buried" (Acts 13:36, NLT).
When David was in the cave of Adullam he sought the Lord Most High for his vindication because he knew he was the future king and that king Saul unlawfully sought him. Saul didn't see him, even when David cut off his robe (what faith!), but David knew that God saw him and he couldn't hide from Him--who always knows where we are. But David may have had his doubts and confusion, and he knew where to go for aid and comfort! He also knew how big God was and that God could meet his every need.
He may even have thought of what Jacob said upon awakening from his dream; "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it" (cf. Gen. 28:16, HCSB). As David prayed in Psalm 32:7, "For you are my hiding place." He never doubted the whereabouts of his God! And what the Lord told Joshua: "... Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go" (Josh. 1:9, HCSB). He knew that God was on his side (cf. Ps. 118:6), that God believed in him and was with him in essence.
It was time to believe God for a miracle and God came through. As it is written in 1 Sam. 30:6, NLT, "... But David found strength in the LORD his God." He also found out that he had a faith worth dying for, not just one he could live with. Then he left the cave! And David kept the faith that God would fulfill His purpose for him (cf. Psalm 57:2, NLT) and that he was willing to wait on the Lord and His timing. God will never let us down but is the great Promise Keeper and that we can always count on. I'm sure he kept his mind on his mission and calling like Paul: "But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus..." (Acts 20:24). David considered that God was offering a way through the crisis, not a way out!
God has no Plan B as it were and we can be assured His will is done, with or without cooperation. "...[F]or he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to His plan" (Eph. 1:11, HCSB). To the seasoned believer, being part of God's plan and seeing God at work through him is a satisfaction. We ought always to seek God's will on earth and realize we are just vessels of honor that have the privilege of being used for His glory: "The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever" (The Westminster Shorter Catechism, cf. Isaiah 43:7). We will all realize in the glory that we were only actors in a play directed by God who appears front and center as the theme. When David was seeking vindication, he was really seeking the Lord's vindication and that God would make good on the anointing he had received from Samuel.
We all have a limited perspective on life, but when God opens our spiritual eyes we see the big picture and can live with a higher purpose. The scope of the unbeliever is merely mundane and God is not in the picture. David had a sense of purpose because he knew God was in control--there was a reason for everything (cf. Prov. 16:4)--no flukes in history. Once we've experienced God, nothing else satisfies. Zeal for God involves a zeal for the Word and a desire to uphold its integrity. That's why God frowns upon ignorant zeal or not according to knowledge (cf. Rom. 10:2). But when David had completed God's will he departed this life (cf. Acts 13:36).
David's faith withstood the loneliness, confusion, and doubt of the cave of Adullam, but faith must be tried as if by fire in the crucible of life's adversities to be proven genuine because it's more valuable than silver or gold and we all should know that nothing in life that's worth it is easy to come by; likewise, if faith weren't difficult and tried and true, even with a stiff upper lip at times, it wouldn't be worth much! ["... For he gets their attention through adversity" (cf. Job 36:15, NLT)]. David's faith wasn't a "do-it-yourself" proposition nor did he believe in just lifting himself up by his bootstraps or that God just helps those who help themselves, but he had faith in a BIG God that was able to come to his rescue for all his needs and fears.
The point is that it doesn't matter how big your faith it, but how big your God is--big faith in a little God isn't adequate. NOTHING EASY TO DO IS WORTH MUCH! Soli Deo Gloria!
About Me
- Karl Broberg
- I am a born-again Christian, who is Reformed, but also charismatic, spiritually speaking. (I do not speak in tongues, but I believe glossalalia is a bona fide gift not given to all, and not as great as prophecy, for example.) I have several years of college education but only completed a two-year degree. I was raised Lutheran and confirmed, but I didn't "find Christ" until I was in the Army and responded to a Billy Graham crusade in 1973. I was mentored or discipled by the Navigators in the army and upon discharge joined several evangelical, Bible-teaching churches. I was baptized as an infant, but believe in believer baptism, of which I was a partaker after my conversion experience. I believe in the "5 Onlys" of the reformation: sola fide (faith alone); sola Scriptura (Scripture alone); soli Christo (Christ alone), sola gratia (grace alone), and soli Deo gloria (to God alone be the glory). I affirm TULIP as defended in the Reformation.. I affirm most of The Westminster Confession of Faith, especially pertaining to Providence.