Trusting God and Prayer

In II Samuel 5 we read about two different battles David had with the Philistines after he became king of Israel. David was in the habit of consulting God before he went into battle and in these two instances he received two different sets of instructions. In the first battle, God told David simply to go ahead and that he would win. In preparation for the second battle, God had some different instructions:

23 And when David enquired of the Lord, he said, Thou shalt not go up; but fetch a compass behind them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees. 24 And let it be, when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then shall the Lord go out before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines. 25 And David did so, as the Lord had commanded him; and smote the Philistines from Geba until thou come to Gazer. II Samuel 5:23-24

David was told not to go. Instead he told them to circle behind the Philistines near some mulberry trees and when David heard a sound in the tops of the trees, it was a signal to decide to move. God would go out in front of them and the Philistines would be defeated. (I Chronicles 14:14)

God could have handled this all himself or he could have said "ditto" from his previous instructions. He could have made the Philistines disappear in a split second. But that is not the way God handles things. Throughout the Old Testament, there are so many records of God giving different instructions to his people on how to handle problems and enemies. This specific chapter shows two specific seemingly identical incidents that happened within a relatively short time period.

Often, as we tackle things in life and see great victories, it is very easy to fall into the trap of complacency. Sometimes when we have a great victory, we think God has deposited more power in our spiritual savings bank so that when the next thing comes along we declare to God "I got this God!"  The other thing that can creep in is to transfer the praise of God onto ourselves. Both scenarios can be big trouble.

Problems involving our thinking other people and various circumstances never stop. The older I get, the more I realize what the power of 'praying without ceasing' is very real. Praying without ceasing doesn't mean living constantly on your knees and reciting prayers over and over. Communication with God is on-going and it is with great joy and peace that we can go to him in every and any situation. We cannot afford to become complacent. Why not trust the creator of the universe with everything that comes across our path. It is not an exercise of weakness, it is an exercise of power!

Recently I had a text come to my phone to which my mind reacted very quickly on how to handle it. I shut down the reaction and put it on hold and gave it to God. The next day I read it again and I knew exactly how I should respond. This is a very small simple thing but very practical. In this day and time when we live in media chaos, twitter and Facebook-type apps, instant messaging, and instant reactions, praying without ceasing has reached a top priority:

16 Rejoice evermore.17 Pray without ceasing.18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. II Thessalonians 5:16-18

The great words of Proverbs 3 stand out in this regard:

3 My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: 2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. 3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: 4 So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:1-6

"Throw Everything at the Wall and See If It Sticks"?

"Cover all your bases", "Run it up the flagpole and see if anyone salutes it", "Go til you hear glass break", Throw everything at the wall and see if it sticks, are frequently used present day figures of speech. Each one of them pushes 'effort' which is not bad in and of itself, but put together and emphasized, frustration and defeat can show up pretty quick.

One of the first problems with these type of sayings is that they focus on what we do. If we are have the attitude that we are out to change the world with out even checkin' in with the creator of the world, we take on a monumental task that usually ends in failure. Life is so much simpler when we trust God. Trusting God is not a passive, inactive mind set. Actually it is very proactive, but not in the self-energizing category.

It is easy to tell from which mind set a person is coming from. Check out who gets the glory. When God gives us answers to things, He nails it! You can't help but get excited! The results are easy! The only reason we have difficulty is when we worry, push too much, and doubt. Don't get me wrong. Life is work, no doubt about it, but when we trust Him step by step it is like sailing. Yes we have to adjust the sails and turn the rudder. There is absolutely nothing passive about trusting God. it all hinges on doing this:

 5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)