Is It Always Possible to Remain in God's Plan and Purpose?

Time doesn’t always present an opportunity to assess how trouble can be managed best. In a documentary on predators, a wolf had stripped away a large piece of meat from a dead animal. As she stopped to enjoy her meal, an eagle promptly swooped down and snatched the meat from her.

As a young man, David was naïve enough to believe Saul would never think of him as a rival. Saul was David’s father-in-law and the father of his best friend Jonathan. Imagine Saul, in a fit of rage, hurling a spear at David with the psychotic intent to kill him!

A strategy David tested to sidestep Saul’s jealousy was to walk away. Sidestepping a conflictual situation can symbolize God’s willingness to help in times of trouble. 

While David was never able to be at peace with Saul, David remained faithful to God’s plan and purpose by being a man after God’s own heart. You can remain in God’s favor as well when faced with trouble.                     

_________ 

Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings as eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.

~Isaiah 40:30-31 New International Version

_________

Subscribe to the Attitudes Answers podcast on your favorite podcast platform to hear this and other 2-minute features 3 days every week.

Celebrate and Dance Like David

Have you ever lamented, "If only I could have this one thing, I would be happy”? Countless commercials play on this illusion by promising joy and happiness. Christians are duped into believing these claims, even while knowing that happiness and real joy are not found in things but in believing God’s love abounds in us.

We all have known those people who appear to have unlimited and abounding joy regardless of their circumstances – circumstances that could easily plunge others into despair. So what's their secret? These people look at each day as a reason to celebrate because it's a gift from God. Joy is replenished as it is shared with others.

 

David was known as a man after God's own heart. He was far from perfect and failed to live up to God’s expectations but would sincerely repent of his sins and return to a life that honored God. When you do your best to live according to God’s expectations, your joy will continually be renewed, and that’s reason to celebrate. 

_____________________

Shout with joy before the Lord, O earth! Obey him gladly; come before him, singing with joy.

~Psalm 100:1-2 The Living Bible

Hero or Failure? Riding the Roller Coaster - Part 3

Living a good life depends on your personal values, which supply meaning and purpose to your life. They are the heart and soul of your existence. Values that are enhanced by the presence of Christ Jesus provide energy and power for staying focused when life becomes too difficult or too easy. It's during these times when your values may be discounted or suppressed, implying they are outdated and insignificant for what you now want to be and do. 

God's presence in our lives gives values the strength to endure. If you were asked, "What do you value most," what would you say?  David, described as a man after God's own heart, begged God to create in him a clean heart.

In this context, the word heart describes David’s conscience that yearned to be unshackled from failures in thoughts and deeds. God's word makes it clear that anyone who seeks him with a repentant heart will find him, regardless how deep into sin that person may have plunged. It's a significant choice and is necessary for reclaiming your faith and lost values.