Today’s Devotion.
Topic: Allow God To Handle It His Way.
Text: 1 Samuel 25: 23- 26.
23 When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed down before David with her face to the ground. 24 She fell at his feet and said, “I accept all blame in this matter, my lord. Please listen to what I have to say. 25 Please pay no attention, my lord, to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name–his name means Fool, and folly goes with him. And as for me, your servant, I did not see the men my lord sent.
26 Now, my lord, as surely as the Lord lives and you yourself live, since the Lord has kept you from murdering and taking vengeance into your own hands, let all your enemies and those who try to harm you be as cursed as Nabal is.” Amen.
This text is an excerpt from the story of king David’s encounter with Nabal and his wife Abigail. You see, after David and his men had been of tremendous help to the shepherds of Nabal, David sends his men to go to him when they heard he was shearing sheep. But Nabal did not only turn them down, he insulted them as well.
David decided therefore to teach Nabal a lesson with a costly revenge. But the Lord used Nabal’s wife Abigail, to caution him not to take matters into his own hands but rather leave them into God’s hands.
Most often, people do hurt us with the meanest deeds ever; especially those who pretended to love us the whole time and made us fall for it. The hurt becomes so strong at times that we become tempted to revenge by putting them in their place, or teaching them lessons which they are supposedly not to ever forget. In such times, we fail to critically analyze the situation, since we only have one thing in mind; putting them right.
But come to think of it, could it be that the Lord wants to make us better people out of such situations, which go a long way to refine us for His purpose for us? Did not all the bad things done to David go a long way to shape him for his purpose as Israel’s best king?
Think about it, so that the next time you think about revenge or taking matters in your own hands to deal mercilessly with those who offend you, you will remember to leave it all in the Lord’s hands. Has He not said that “vengeance is mine”, and that, “all things work together for good for them that love Him, and are called according to His purpose?”
Begin to pray therefore for the people that persecute you and call themselves your enemies. Bless them, let go the bitterness and let the peace of God rule in your heart. He sure knows how to handle all things, including this very one that bothers you so much. Also, pray for humility and patience to deal with every situation as the Lord wants us to. That one is more important than the vengeance you are nurturing within. It will destroy everything.
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