“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding..” - Proverbs 3:5 (NIV).
A tragedy has been described as an event that results in great distress. What often is seen as a tragedy is where something that was apparently cruising normally is beset with devastating circumstances, resulting into certain loss. King Saul’s life is seen as a tragedy because it began on a high only to end up in a tragic low, with him taking his life, along with three of his sons (I Samuel 31:6). How did this tragedy happen?
Saul almost came out of nowhere to be appointed King of the Israelites. When Samuel first revealed to Saul the anointing over him, he was skeptical, “ Saul answered, “But am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? (I Samuel 9:21). On the day of his crowning he was nowhere to be seen. “And the Lord said, “Yes, he has hidden himself among the supplies.” They ran and brought him out, and as he stood among the people he was a head taller than any of the others. Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the man the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people” (II Samuel 10:22-24). Its quite clear Saul came from far.
But once he settled on the throne Saul overtime lost sense of how far he had come from. He started not listening to God but followed his own ambitions. “Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel: “I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions” (I Samuel 15:10).
Had Saul not lost sense how far he had come, much can be said that he would never have lost his senses that one point he sought mediums- “Saul then said to his attendants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, so I may go and inquire of her.” “There is one in Endor,” they said” (I Samuel 28:7). The tragedy of Saul was one who became so big that the God who made him be, was now second place. His life that had begun so heroically ended up as one tragedy.
What we pick from all this is that any of us could start out so well, only to lose focus and start looking to other powers. Instead of going back to the Lord who has made us; we rely on our strength or something else other than the mighty God. Saul lost humility, puffed up his wings, only to lose the crown to someone whose heart was truly after God- King David.
Prayer for today: Lord father in heaven, maker of heaven and earth, today I pray that my heart is truly centered on you, and I may not lose sense of how far you have brought me, this I pray in Jesus’s name.
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02/05/2024 - 03/05/2024 All day“That is why for Christ’s sake I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor 12:10)
We all crave to be blessed in life. But was there a believer who was so blessed beyond any circumstances without experiencing some sort of discomfort, in one way or another! A person may apparently be blessed in every single way yet have one troubling matter that constantly drives him down to his knees.
The one mightily blessed with riches may have a family situation that leaves him ever on edge. Someone who seems to be at the height of his profession may be living with an ailment that keeps him ever on tentacles. The one blessed with abundant health might from time to time be dealing with financial woes.
Why do such troubling situations plague even believers? One explanation could be found in the Apostle Paul’s life. Called into ministry and endowed with many gifts, including amazing revelations from above, yet he had a matter that constantly drove him on his knees. “Therefore in order to keep me from being conceited, I was given a thorn in the flesh, a messenger from Satan, to torment me” (2 Cor 12: 7).
Paul would often cry out to God to free him of this particularly troubling matter. But the Lord came back with, “My grace is sufficient for you. For my power is made perfect in your weakness” (2 Cor 12: 9).
The comfort of this lesson is that God is completely aware of whatever might be ever troubling us. Moreover, it could be purposely there, that we constantly place our faith in Him, other than relying on our strength and resources, especially as He blesses us in other uplifting ways.
Prayer for today: Lord Father in heaven, today I pray that whatever matter is constantly troubling me, I know it is for a purpose and you are in total control, to bless me even more, this I pray in Jesus’ name.
