Morning By Morning #40

So David inquired of the LORD.

2 Samuel 5:23

From the pen of Charles Spurgeon:

When David made this inquiry he had just fought the Philistines, winning a significant victory. The Philistines had gone up “in full force” (v. 17), but with God’s help David had easily put them to flight. It is important to note, however, that when the enemy came a second time, David did not immediately go to fight them, but he again “inquired of the LORD.” After being victorious he might have said, as many others have, “I will be victorious again. Since I have conquered them once before, I can rest assured I will triumph again, so why should I take the time to seek help from the Lord’s hands?”

Not so with David. He had triumphed in one battle through the strength of the Lord and would not venture into another battle until he was sure of God’s continued help. So he “inquired of the LORD” again, asking if he should attack the Philistines. Then he waited until God’s sign was given. Through this story we should learn from David to never take a step without the Lord.

Dear Christian, if you desire to know the path of service for your life, take God as your compass. If you want to be able to steer your ship through the darkest, highest waves, place the control of the rudder into the hands of the Almighty. Many a crushing rock might be escaped if we would only let our Father take the helm, and many a shoal or sandbar might be avoided if we would surrender ourselves to His sovereign will to choose and to command.

There is great truth in this saying of the Puritans: “To be sure, as soon as a Christian carves his own path he’ll cut his own fingers.” And an old saint of God’s once said, “He who goes ahead of the cloud of God’s providence goes on a fool’s errand.” Thus, we must be sure to take note of God’s providence leading us, and if He lingers we must wait until He moves. He who runs ahead of God’s providence will soon find himself very glad to run straight back to it.

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go” (Ps. 32:8) is God’s promise to His people. May we then take all our perplexing questions to Him, saying, “Lord, what would You have me do?” (See Acts 9:6.)

Do not leave your room this morning without inquiring of the Lord.

From the pen of Jim Reimann:

A wise friend once said, “You want to make God laugh? Then make plans!” Planning without seeking the Lord’s counsel is not only unbiblical but also dangerous to our spiritual life, if not our physical life. We can only imagine what would have happened to David if he had not “inquired of the LORD.”

We need to remember each of us has a “race marked out for us” (Heb. 12:1) by the Lord, and that is the race He intends for us to run. Yet my race is not yours and yours is not mine, which is why we need to seek the Lord’s will for ourselves individually.

Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, tells us: “Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed” (Prov. 16:3). “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps” (Prov. 16:9). And “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’S purpose that prevails” (Prov. 19:21).

Not our plans, “but the plans of the LORD stand firm forever” (Ps. 33:11).