Christian Living

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October 25, 2011 – Misplaced Trust
6 David was greatly distressed, for the men spoke of stoning him because the souls of them all were bitterly grieved, each man for his sons and daughters. But David encouraged and strengthened himself in the Lord his God. – 1 Samuel 30:6 AMP
David is called a man after God’s own heart many times in the Bible. If that’s the case, then why would he need to encourage himself in the Lord? Consider his circumstances in this situation.
David as a youth was anointed the next king of Israel, but at this time he had fled to the country of Gath because he was afraid Saul was trying to kill him. He set up base camp in the town of Ziklag, raided nearby towns, and killed the inhabitants that earlier generations of Israelites failed to annihilate at God’s command. In turn he lied to Achish, the king of Gath, as to the location of his raids. Then Ziklag was raided and burned. Everything was stolen including wives and children. At this lowest of low points in David’s life, he finally turned to God for encouragement and strength.
Many Christians today find themselves in a situation like David. We say we believe in God, but sometimes we only seek Him when we’re at our lowest. When we really need a miracle or some kind of healing in our life, we cry out to Him like we never have. “Oh God heal my illness!”, “Lord, I know You can save my marriage!” When things, such as this, happen, we have fallen into the same trap that David did.
So why do Christians put themselves into situations like David? It’s simply a lack of commitment. How would David’s life have been different if he would have trusted in God and not let fear take hold of his life? I believe, He would have never left the country. He would have never felt the need to lie and cover up his raids. And if Ziklag were burned, he would have never been there. Would he have taken the throne earlier in his life by keeping his trust in God? I cannot say. But I can say that by misplacing his trust, he caused himself a lot of heartache.
Christians also misplace their trust today in many areas. We place our confidence in friends, wealth, and even our church. It’s perfectly well and good to have friends, a church, and even to be wealthy. But when we trust anything before God, we run the risk of losing sight of Him. The more we lose sight of God, the more we begin to rely on other things in our life and less on Him. We draw assurance from our possessions, our friends, and even our church before God. When that happens, we have allowed history to repeat itself, and like David, could find ourselves searching for something miraculous to happen in our lives. We should never trust the world, but always trust in God.
On the flip side, there are also those who say they follow God, then completely turn their backs to Him when things don’t go as they think they should. Perhaps you have lost a relationship or your job and you blame God for your misgivings. Rather than turning your back to God, maybe you should search yourself and see if you truly followed Him in the first place. Everything that happens in your life, good or bad, should be an opportunity to draw closer to Him. Stop relying on the world to heal whatever it is that has been broken in your life.
Whatever your case, if you are away from God and turn to Him, or if you have turned your back on God, I have one word of advice. Overcome your reliance on the world by putting your trust in God, by your actions and not just in word. Seek Him in everything you do. There will be times that God will tell you not to have that Big Mac. You should trust God at work, at play, commuting, and even at the grocery store. The more you put this into practice, God won’t seem like He’s a world away. You won’t have to encourage and strengthen yourself in your relationship with Him. And I promise you, if you do that, you will never run the risk, of waking up one morning, sitting in a heap of ashes wondering why God let your world go up in smoke.

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