Joel M Bradshaw

6Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Joab’s brother Abishai the son of Zeruiah, “Who will go down with me into the camp to Saul?” And Abishai said, “I will go down with you.” 7So David and Abishai went to the army by night. And there lay Saul sleeping within the encampment, with his spear stuck in the ground at his head, and Abner and the army lay around him. 8Then Abishai said to David, “God has given your enemy into your hand this day. Now please let me pin him to the earth with one stroke of the spear, and I will not strike him twice.” 9But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can put out his hand against the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless?” 10And David said, “As the LORD lives, the LORD will strike him, or his day will come to die, or he will go down into battle and perish. 11The LORD forbid that I should put out my hand against the LORD’s anointed. But take now the spear that is at his head and the jar of water, and let us go.” 12So David took the spear and the jar of water from Saul’s head, and they went away. No man saw it or knew it, nor did any awake, for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from the LORD had fallen upon them.–1 Samuel 26 (with emphasis)

I have journeyed with many people who struggle with trusting God in their situations. The first and most basic trust responses is stillness. Psalm 46:10 reminds us to be still and know that God is God. The theological self-talk that follows is: God is God. I trust Him to handle his business.

David wasn’t going to put his hands on Saul for any reason. But he didn’t say that Saul didn’t deserve to die. It just would be a matter of God handling his business outside of David’s involvement.

So many people would tell themselves that God made this possible and therefore be attentive and faithful to respond to God’s prompting. David had a priest in his crew and was able to inquire of God. That’s all it would take to get the go-ahead. But that never happened. Regardless of how it seemed otherwise, God never sanctioned David to take out Saul. So David refused to compromise. That meant resting in God’s sovereign plan to unfold. No matter how many times he would be chased and attacked by an evil madman king.

We have the Bible and should go to it for direction in our situations. Be still, my friend. Know that God is indeed God. He handles his business. Relying on yourself when you should rely on God is a recipe for anxiety. Trusting in God when you should trust in God is the pathway to peace. The times when I was selfishly rash and untrusting in God are some of the moments I regret most in life. My worst seasons always begin with some form of ‘I’ve got this.’–JMB