2 Samuel 11 & 12
Once upon a time, I had a free evening and I planned on working on this devotional. I knew that it needed to be done, and so early in the day, I set it in my mind that I would work on it after dinner. Well, dinner came and went and I found many other things to do. Later that evening, before I was going to get ready for bed, I was checking a couple of things on the computer. As I sat there, I received an email from a friend. I opened it and it was an Advent devotional. Right then and there I was struck with one thought. I was supposed to have worked on my own devotional that evening, but instead had found other things to do. And here was another person that had done that very thing that I also was supposed to have done. I dug out my paper that listed all of the titles so that I could at least look over my Scriptures and jot down some notes. It was getting late and I didn't have time to get much work done, but I could at least start.
And there was the title: "When Kings Usually Go Forth Unto Battle." I knew the story, but I turned to the selection in my Bible anyway. This story spoke to the very thing that I had just experienced, though on a smaller scale. It was the time of year when kings would usually go to battle. But David stayed home. And while he was home, he was walking around on the roof terrace and spotted a woman bathing atop another nearby building. She was beautiful and when David saw her, lust immediately filled his heart and he had to have her. You know the rest of the story—he caved to the temptation, got the woman pregnant, and then went to great lengths as he scrambled to try to cover his sin. In the end, he had her husband killed and took her as his own wife…all of this when kings usually go to battle. And that's where David should have been and what he should have been doing. God had a plan and David followed another.
So there I sat—I knew that God wanted me to work on my devotional (and in fact, that had been my plan), but I, like David, "stayed home." How many times do I do this? How often does it happen to you? God calls us to be in His will. He calls us to be about something in particular. Maybe He wants me to speak to a coworker about His word. Maybe He calls you to encourage a friend. Maybe He calls me to study the Scriptures more in depth. Maybe He calls you to pray more consistently. Maybe He calls us to be, to do, to act…His will. So do we answer His call or are we sidetracked by something else…our own will?
Where was David when kings usually go to battle?—checking out the cute girl next door. Where will you be when Christians usually pray…when Christians usually study the Word…when Christians usually love one another…when Christians usually evangelize…when Christians usually seek God?
~ Joel Warren
