Ease....? Beware.
Over the last week or so I have been reading though David
and then Solomon's life.
In the meantime I have been having conversations with folks
who have been recovering from significant crisis in their lives....
And I am seeing a pattern.
Crisis,
Projects,
Stress,
Threat
all seem to call out the best in us.
Seem to help us stand and fight for what is right.
And it seems that very seldom do we fail to make it through.
...Sweat and hard work
Lots of Prayer
Supported by community
Loved on by family....
all go together to be part of the 'success'
It's about the AFTER that I see a pattern developing
That is where I see the real difficulty happen.
....sometimes even failure,
as seen in the lives of two great men in history...
David.....
after all the fights and wars and keeping alive
and running a country
and civil war etc etc.....
when Kings were normally out doing Kingly things...
he was at home...
wondering the roof when normal people are in bed.....
then he
- Rapes the woman next door,
- kills her husband
- and almost loses the Kingdom to his son
amidst a litany of tragic circumstances
(daughter raped by another son
and that son then murdered)
and then I was reading Solomon's life....
and I noticed an interesting thing;
God meets and blesses him when he first receives the Kingdom.
God gives him what he needs to rule well.
Wisdom amongst other things....
But
after the Kingdom is established
and the projects are built
and everything is in place
God comes again.
Not with a blessing per se
but with a warning.
'Watch out Solomon.
I am for you
but in this time of calm and peace
will come your greatest temptation
the risk of falling away from depending on Me
Be careful
Be aware
Don't be lulled into
all is safe
all is OK.....'
God didn't speak those exact words
But the warning was there see 1King 9:1-9
and Solomon
the wisest man to live
missed it
blew it
built and sacrificed to idols
possibly even
human sacrifices....
in the 'easy times'
in the 'down times'
when failure didn't seem possible....
Paul reminds me that my enemy waits
until my guard is down
and the fight is over
before he moves in
and subtly shifts my gaze
from trusting in God
in every little thing....
Eph 6:10-18 - Put on the full armor....
The day of evil is not necessarily
catastrophe and destruction
maybe it's
the new 'normal' after a crisis
or even
ease.....
Hmmm...
Lord,
I look to You to help me
Guard my heart.
To realize I need you
in good times
as well as bad
....obedience to you
when there is no threat
is just as important
as when there is....
This I choose
today.
Thank You Lord Jesus
for opening my eyes
Yes.
PJ