2 SAMUEL 16

Poor David. Fleeing from Jerusalem, rumors flying around him, and now, being abused by a man from Saul’s family. Not only was the man cursing David, but he was throwing stones and dirt at him and his troops as well. Finally, one of David’s men asked if he could go over and cut the guy’s head off. (What a nonchalant request.) David’s reply was very interesting:

"But the king said, 'What does this have to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the Lord said to him, "Curse David," who can ask, "Why do you do this?"' David then said to Abishai and all his officials, 'My son, my own flesh and blood, is trying to kill me. How much more, then, this Benjamite! Leave him alone; let him curse, for the Lord has told him to. It may be that the Lord will look upon my misery and restore to me his covenant blessing instead of his curse today.'" (vs 10-12)

Wow. What happened to the David who—just a few years before—was ordering people around, stealing wives, and sending people to their deaths? Since that time, I think David had gotten a big dose of reality and, as a result, he learned that he wasn’t as "in control" of things as he thought he was. That’s a hard lesson for us to learn; I would think it would be an especially hard lesson to learn if you are in a position of great power and authority like David.

David may have thought he was in control, in charge, but the events that had transpired in his own family in the previous few years had served to make him think twice about that. And, to me, what he was saying in his reply to Abishai was, "Don’t worry about what’s going on right now. We can’t judge all the circumstances. God is the only one in a position to know how things are supposed to play out."

David didn’t know if this man from Saul’s family was doing the right thing or not. All he knew was that it wasn’t a pleasant experience, but he seemed to know this truth about God: that God is going to sort things out. He alone is in a position to see the entirety of our lives—from beginning to end—and know how everything is supposed to fit together. David must have known so well by this time that trying to work things out in his own way was a surefire plan for disaster.

Are you facing anything difficult today? Know that God is going to sort things out! He can see things you can’t see. He knows things you can’t know. You can trust Him with your life, your whole life. You can trust Him to defend you, if need be, or to put you back in your place, if need be. While it may be hard to face the reality that we aren’t as “in control” of things as we would like to think we are, how freeing it is to leave ourselves totally in God’s hands. You don’t have to figure out a way to make everything work out the way you think it should. God always does what is right and best for us, and you can be sure that in His time, He is going to sort things out.