Fridays with David

Read 1 Samuel 21:4-6 – And the priest answered David and said, “There is no common bread on hand; but there is holy bread, if the young men have at least kept themselves from women.” Then David answered the priest, and said to him, “Truly, women have been kept from us about three days since I came out. And the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in effect common, even though it was consecrated in the vessel this day.” So the priest gave him holy bread; for there was no bread there but the showbread which had been taken from before the Lord, in order to put hot bread in its place on the day when it was taken away. (NKJV)

David’s daily commitment to God is seen in this discouraging moment. He has been rejected by Saul and must now flee from the land that he is supposed to rule. So as he awaits his opportunity, he remains pure. He doesn’t use his discouragement as an excuse to violate his own covenant with God. He could have allowed his frustration to turn him from the man he had been, but instead, he remains faithful to God. How many let disappointment lead them to compromise? It’s easy to justify such carelessness when we are hurting. But David remains strong. He remains pure even now. The choices he makes in his days on the run will ultimately define his strength when he becomes the king he is supposed to be. In the same way, who you are in difficult times will define yourself and the place God wants to bring you to someday.

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.
National Light for the Lost Day . May 6, 2012 . www.men.ag.org