The Bigger Picture

He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave. The men said, "This is the day the LORD spoke of when he said to you, 'I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.' "Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul's robe... He said to his men, 'The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the LORD's anointed, or lift my hand against him; for he is the anointed of the LORD."

1 Samuel 24:3-4,6

Just because all the pieces fall together in our favor, doesn't mean that God has blessed it. Oftentimes, we look at a situation and all the "signs" point to choosing a certain path but is that really God's plan for us? What if it contradicts a command from God? In this passage, everything seemed to be in favor of David finally overtaking Saul. God already promised David the throne, his life was threatened by Saul constantly & now it seems Saul was delivered on a silver platter to David. All of this fits so nicely... except that God already anointed Saul as king. To kill Saul would be to sin against God. We need to remind ourselves to take a step back and widen our vision to see God's works. We can't only look at promises made to us individually but look at a broader scope. We must focus on God's promises and not only promises made to us.

I do try to look at the bigger picture most of the time, I don't know how clear I see it, but I try to understand this truth. Even though it's impossible to see how God sees things, we are to discipline our own minds to be less self-centered and more God-centered. In my life, I need to frame my choices around God's master plan, not specifically concerned how it affects me individually but how it affects the community.

Thank You Father God for reminding me that attractiveness does not equate to blessings. Help my senses filter out deception and cunning of the evil one so that I can be like Your servant David. Teach me to think before I act, but also train my thoughts to be well oiled and quickly responsive to Your calling. I pray LORD, that all Your servants draws a little closer to You today. I love you LORD! Amen!