By Todd Paetznick, October 17, 2024

David was anointed by the prophet Samuel to be king over all of Israel while he was still young, and Saul was the current king.  And yet David’s life from that point until he finally ascended to the throne was not what most of us would have chosen or expected.  It was filled with threats to his life, inconvenience, and loss.  Despite being chosen by God to become king, David lived on the run from his enemies for many years.  It was not likely what he thought he had signed up for or what he imagined his life would be like after being anointed.  I’m sure David sometimes wondered what God was up to and why everything was not always good.  Reviewing David’s Psalms can confirm his fears, doubts, and questions.  

What is God up to in our lives?  We may sometimes feel that our lives and businesses are not living up to our hopes and do not compare favorably to our peers.  We may go through trying times and difficulties others do not seem to face.  Intellectually, we know better than to think that everything will always be great after we become God-followers.  But we secretly hoped that God would give us extra blessings because we think we deserve better.  We may never know why things do not go as expected.  When things seem to go sideways is an excellent time to look for how God may be at work in our lives.  The good news is that, like David and the people we can read about in the Bible, God is at work to strengthen our faith and make us better versions of ourselves. 

God is sovereign over the events of this world, which means He is in charge and has the power to work things out for His good, according to His plan.  The details of God’s complete plan are not shared with us; this is why having faith in God and what He does is so important.  Our faith is never as perfect or as strong as it could be, which is a reason for the difficulties we sometimes face.  Our struggles are often God’s way of developing our character and strengthening our faith.  Faith is not given to people at maximum strength; it grows over time and through experience.  Faith in God means trusting He knows best, even when we cannot see the next step or being able to imagine how the circumstances can work out for good.  Our faith in God grows stronger when we choose to trust, especially when we have no choice but to rely on God for a miracle to get us out of the situation we find ourselves in.  These are the circumstances in which God is glorified, and our faith grows.  The next time we face a challenging circumstance, we can remember how God came through in the past, and we can lean on Him even more for the future.

In David’s story, the difficulties he faced shaped the person he would become; his circumstances helped to build his faith in God.  Like every person, David’s faith did not start as strong as it would become; it had to be built through difficult circumstances and times of testing.  As a young shepherd, David faced a lion and a bear while protecting his sheep.  These potentially life-threatening circumstances taught him to trust God.  David was prepared adequately for the faith he required to trust God for his victory over the giant Goliath.  

What is God doing in our lives that requires a measure of faith we do not possess?  How might God be preparing us for even greater challenges?  How will God be glorified by getting us through the impossible circumstances we face today? God is teaching us to trust Him.