Do you recall the story of King David and how he by faith became the king in Israel? It really happened. You know he was indeed flawed, but he simply trusted in the Lord and came out victorious. Be encouraged if your faith seems fickle or small at times.
With David it was about his main relationship (his vertical faith in the right Person), and then came good relationships on the horizontal plain as well. Think about this. It should be like that for us as well. Prioritizing, then gaining and maintaining a right vertical relationship with God through Christ His Son.. which will positively impact our horizontal relationships.
Q: So how’s your upward trust-factor been workin’ out for ya.. and for God’s Kingdom advancement?
Here’s 5 Reasons To Trust God Like David Did:
1.) His Power — none are more powerful in all the universe than the living Word. He even speaks with great power!
“The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic.” Psalms 29:4
God is Almighty! David grasped that.
God verses Satan — if God is all-powerful, why does He not just kill Satan?
God by His power can keep, protect, provide for, guide and use you for His glory! Yes, you can hear His mighty voice.
“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9
2.) His Plan — it’s eternal and always good because He is that way (God never changes).
“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5
Can faith change God’s plan?
How can I know what God’s plan is?
Does God have a plan for me.. and what’s His real plan of salvation?
3.) His Purpose —with His provision and precise timing is world-changing! He wants to involve you in His rescue efforts.
“Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed.” Acts 13:36
What is God’s purpose for me.. and what’s the purpose of the Bible?
If God knew that Adam and Eve would sin, what was His purpose in creating them?
4.) His Peace —it doesn’t evaporate away from you and never has to be robbed (your choices matter).
In the OT the righteous had the Spirit upon them, but in the NT you can enjoy Him and His peace within you.
Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27
What does God say about peace?
The Fruit of the Holy Spirit — What is peace?
Did the Lord come to bring peace on earth?
What does “peace, peace, when there is no peace” mean in Jeremiah 8:11?
What is the peace that passes all understanding?
Jesus Christ Himself is our peace (see Ephesians 2:14).
5.) His Presence is real — He’ll never ditch, deceive or forsake you, believer!
So what is the difference between the manifest presence of the Holy Spirit and God’s omnipresence?
What so special about being in the presence of God?
In His presence — what does that even mean and what’s up with His shekinah glory?
Hebrews 13:5, ESV Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Genesis 28:15, NIV I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
Joshua 1:5, ESV No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.
Isaiah 41:10, ESV Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 43:2, ESV When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.
Psalm 23:4, ESV Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
Deuteronomy 31:6, ESV Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
Deuteronomy 31:8, NIV The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Exodus 33:14, NIV The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
Psalm 27:1, KJV The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Hebrews 13:5, NIV Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
Psalm 48:14, NIV For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end.
2 Timothy 4:1-2, In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage — with great patience and careful instruction.
When we truly understand God’s kind grace for us, it helps us trust. It also brings us a deep and lasting peace that abides forever. We want to go tell someone about Jesus!
“The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.” Psalm 138:8 esv
This Bible verse above informs us that God has a loving purpose for our lives, and guess what! He’ll accomplish it by His power. Why? Because His love endures forever.. therefore we can trust that He will never abandon His good work in our lives.
He Did It For David. God Will Fulfill His Purpose For You Too!
While David kept righteously advancing going to war for his king and nation, but that religious king before him kept going to war with him.. due to envy. Saul had his own person war with David, but David wouldn’t swing back at him.
Some people have come into a position of ruling so quick and easy, but not David. He had to be patient and hold on. God wanted his character to develop. The king before him was seriously lacking in that area and it cost him a whole lot.
For ten years David fled from king Saul who was out to kill him. David lived in constant danger, but God totally protected him during those trying times. Yes, sometimes providentially (v. 10) and sometimes through the help of others. When the battles were all ended, David wrote about God, “He delivered me because He delighted in me” (Ps. 18:19).
David’s kept things pretty simple for a long time. His integrity before God (his candid prayer life) was his strongest weapon during those years of heartache and persecution from Saul. David always tried to do Saul good. There was a time when David treated his enemies better than his friends according to Joab his nephew and military commander.
You cannot control what people do to you, but you can control what you do with God. Please treat your friends well.. even better than your enemies who want you dead. Duh!
Jonathan was David’s dearest friend, and he kept David well informed of Saul’s plans. Faith in God does not exclude a commonsense approach to life. Be a realist and one who prays in faith. Michal, Saul’s daughter, risked her life to protect her husband, and that was noble.. yes, until the day of David’s death, Samuel stood by David even better. Far better.
The “ultimate weapon” of the believer is spiritual, the power of God at work changing people (vv. 18–24; 2 Cor. 10:3–6). Had Saul repented and yielded himself to the Lord in order to follow His Holy Spirit and the Scriptures, he would have saved himself and his family a whole lot of sorrow — a whole lot of trouble. So who does David trust?
1.) David trusts some people some, (yes, some more than others. see 1 Samuel 19 in the Bible)
Saul’s plan to murder David was no longer a secret at all, for now the king’s servants were commanded to go slay him. But Saul had tried and tried to and had been unable to kill David in his previous attempts (18:11, 25). And now it appeared that his anger was spent and David could return to the court.. but safely for how long? Here we see David’s faith wavering some, for instead of trusting God fully and seeking His perfect will, he starts to trust in human beings more.
2.) David trusts Jonathan gobs cuz Saul’s son earned it by protecting him from his evil dad Saul. What a great friendship they have (vv. 1–10).
Certainly king Saul’s son Jonathan could help and he could intercede for David. Fickle Saul even swore that he would protect David, but these promises were never fulfilled. No sooner did David win a great victory on the battlefield than Saul’s old envy had returned to him, and then he threw the spear again. Remember his six spears of hate that he set to flight. Did David make a mistake in trusting Jonathan to “patch things up” for him and Saul? Was it worth the try? Saul’s heart needed to be completely changed before his words and actions would line up so he could become trustworthy.
3.) David trusts Michal some, but he and his wife never really had a good spiritual tie (vv. 11–17).
Though his wife loved David, there was never a strong spiritual tie between the two, as her later actions proved. She warned David that Saul was watching him, so together they concocted a lie. This was the beginning of serious trouble for David, for it is never right to do evil that good may come of it (Rom. 3:8). Note that Michal used an idol to give the impression that David was sick in bed! She was now deceiving her own father and only making matters worse. Read Ps. 59 for additional insight into this situation.
4.) David trusts Samuel a whole lot and always did. This prophet with integrity walked his talk. (vv. 18–24).
This perhaps was the wisest move David made, for this man of God would be able to pray for him and counsel him. Note that Samuel defeated Saul, not with lies or weapons, but with the Spirit of God. By using spiritual weapons, Samuel delayed Saul and gave David opportunity to get away.
5.) David trusts and loves the Lord the most, but wait.. what’s up with his later decisions? (1 Sam. 20–21)
I like how he begun in faith. These Bible chapters do not record a very beautiful picture really, for in them we see a man of faith, a godly leader faltering and sometimes failing in his faith some. Instead of inquiring, waiting to seek the Lord’s will and obeying God, we see David fleeing in fear. He tries to “scheme” his way out of his problems. He wasn’t totally honest all the time, but God does help him out. Note the lies that David tells — let’s pre-think and pray so we won’t do that.
David looked to the Lord for salvation and you can too! So who do you look up to and trust the most? And why do you? Who do you follow, know and worship?
“The Assured Judgment of the Wicked To the Chief Musician. Set to “Do Not Destroy.” (A Michtam of David when Saul sent men and they watched the house in order to kill him).
Go ahead, prayerfully meditate upon Psalm 59. To the chief Musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David; when Saul sent, and they watched the house to kill him.
In David’s younger years, he had played the harp for Saul to calm him. But after Saul threw spears at him on three occasions, David realized Saul was out to get him. So he escaped in the middle of the night. This is the background for Psalm 59.
Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God: defend me from them that rise up against me. Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloody men. For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul: the mighty are gathered against me; not for my transgression, nor for my sin, O LORD. They run and prepare themselves without my fault: awake to help me, and behold. Thou therefore, O LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, awake to visit all the heathen: be not merciful to any wicked transgressors. Selah. They return at evening: they make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city. Behold, they belch out with their mouth: swords are in their lips: for who, say they, doth hear? But thou, O LORD, shalt laugh at them; thou shalt have all the heathen in derision. Because of his strength will I wait upon thee: for God is my defense. The God of my mercy shall prevent me: God shall let me see my desire upon mine enemies. Slay them not, lest my people forget: scatter them by thy power; and bring them down, O Lord our shield. For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips let them even be taken in their pride: and for cursing and lying which they speak. Consume them in wrath, consume them, that they may not be: and let them know that God ruleth in Jacob unto the ends of the earth. Selah. And at evening let them return; and let them make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city. Let them wander up and down for meat, and grudge if they be not satisfied. Psalm 59:1–15
David likens those watching his house, waiting to devour him, to dogs. The apostle Paul would use this same analogy..
Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. Philippians 3:2, 3
The concision were legalizers who followed Paul saying, “Paul preached grace, but it’s not that easy. It’s not that simple. If you’re really serious about following God, you must keep these rules and those regulations.”
I will wholeheartedly pray with the right address attached and with faith (see Ps. 59:1–7). God will respond (with no, wait or yes) in His good time. Father knows best. David compared his enemies to dogs prowling the city streets and growling over the garbage. Saul was after him again (1 Sam. 19:1–11), and only the Lord could deliver David.
I will wholeheartedly wait upon the Lord (vv. 8–15), not running ahead nor lag behind Jesus. David’s wife helped him escape that time, but David faced several years of danger and exile before he received his rightful throne. Twice he could have killed Saul, but he refused to do so. He knew that God would deal with his enemies in His way and in His time (1 Sam. 26:8–11).
I will wholeheartedly sing praises to the Lord (vv. 16–17). David had a song in the morning because God gave him joy in the morning (Ps. 30:5). Things often look worse at night, so wait for the morning; God will give you your song of praise.
Who are the true people of God? Those who worship God in the spirit, those who rejoice in Christ Jesus, those who have no confidence in their flesh. Period.
But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning (see Psalm 59:16, 17): for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble. Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing: for God is my defense, and the God of my mercy.
“Dogs, you can snap at me. Legalists, you can find fault with me. But God is my defense, so I will sing.” David went through trial after trial — yet he always ended with a song in his heart and praise on his lips because he hoped and believed in God. We can, too.
“But I’m not getting what I want,” you might protest. “How can I trust and praise God when I feel like this?” It takes a simple choice right?
If you’re not getting what you want, then praise God that you’re not getting what you don’t want. “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not,” Jeremiah declared (Lamentations 3:22). We deserve terrible things to come upon us. We deserve to be consumed. But God has been merciful to us. So, even if you’re not getting what you want, praise God that you’re not getting what you don’t want. And keep singing to God, for truly He is a God of strong defense and matchless mercy. kurtwVs.medium.com
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5–6 nkjv
