When Saul was told that David had come to Keilah, Saul said, “God has delivered him into my hand.” 1 Samuel 23:7
Well, Saul was wrong...
David was told, “The Philistines are fighting in Keilah and are looting the threshing floors.” So David asked the Lord, “Should I go and strike down these Philistines?” The Lord said “Go,” but David’s men were afraid...so David asked the Lord once again. Again the Lord replied, “Go.” David and his men went and were victorious.
When Saul was told that David was staying in Keilah, he said, “David has boxed himself into a corner by entering a city with two barred gates. God has delivered him into my hand.” So Saul mustered his army to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men.
He was unsuccessful...
Saul was guilty of presuming...since God had done things for him in the past...He would continue working on his behalf. What Saul failed to recognize was that the mighty acts of God, on his behalf, occurred when God’s Spirit was upon Saul.
The spirit of God had long left Saul...Saul just wasn’t aware of it. Unlike Saul, God’s presence will never leave a person of faith. This is promised in Holy scripture, “In Him, you also—having believed, were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance.” (Ephesians 1:13)
His presence is the guarantee of our eternal life...
God’s power is an entirely different thing from His presence. His power...is the force that makes a difference in our daily lives. Sometimes it helps us persevere in trials. Sometimes it validates our efforts to follow God faithfully. Sometimes it renders unbelievable supernatural events. But, God’s power in our lives is predicated on our willingness to abdicate control. God’s Spirit will never wrestle us for power. He will only fill the void that is left when we surrender control to Him. Our human struggle to maintain control over our lives disappoints God and He often responds by “leaving us to our own devices.” So...when we grieve the Holy Spirit we eliminate His power in our lives. Our access to supernatural help is virtually eliminated.
Even so, as Christians we are often guilty of making Saul’s mistake. We presume upon God’s power based on things other than our own spiritual condition; knowledge, experience, observation or even hope. The great error is forgetting “God wills as God wills.” He doesn’t will as we “hope.”
The problem is...we aren’t objective about our spiritual condition. We assume the best in ourselves and often feel powerfully righteous when we are not. Saul was beset by an evil spirit yet still believed God was working on his behalf. He should have realized there was a problem when all his attempts to kill David failed. He didn’t.
David, on the other hand, didn’t presume upon God. When he was told the Philistines were besieging Keilah he asked God “do you want me to go and fight?” God said “go” and David was victorious.
David was a man after God’s own heart...
While the life of faith is often marked by struggle and perceived failure, I’m suggesting this; when the path toward our objectives is constantly blocked and we make no progress, we might want to reconsider what we’re doing and ask if we’re really on God’s path and...is the Holy Spirit operating on our behalf.
We should strive to be people after God’s heart...not our own.
Live boldly out there today...
