Daily Reading
1Samuel 19
1Chronicles 7
Psalm 59
Matthew 4
Scripture
11 Then Saul sent troops to watch David’s house. They were told to kill David when he came out the next morning. (1Sam 19:11)
1 Rescue me from my enemies, O God.
Protect me from those who have come to destroy me.
4 I have done nothing wrong,
yet they prepare to attack me.
Wake up! See what is happening and help me! (Ps 59:1,4)1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. 2 For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry.
11 Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus. (Mt 4:1,2,11)
Observation
Jesus just finished with 40 hard days and nights of fasting out in the dessert. Satan tempted Him in his weakest moment. Where were the angels of God during this time? I imagine them hovering just outside the boundaries God made for them, wanting so bad to go and protect Jesus; wanting to kick Satan’s butt. They knew, however, the things that must take place. They knew that Jesus’ temptation was necessary in order to fulfil the greater plan of salvation for the entire human race. They also knew that there would be another time when Jesus would have to do it on His own and this was only prepratory for that time; that moment on the cross when God would turn His face away from His Son because He could not look upon sin. That hour when Jesus would cry out “My God, My God, Why have you abandoned me?” (Mk 15:34) They stayed back until Satan left defeated by Jesus without their intervention. Then I imagine they rushed in, like air filling a void, and ministered to Jesus.
Application
Sometimes God seems like He is nowhere to be found. We ask for His help and protection and we don’t get it. We cry out to Him, as David did multiple times as he was being persued by his enemies. Did God step in at the moment of anguish and rescue David? Or Jesus the moment he cried out? No. He allowed them to suffer and dispair because He, and He alone knows WHY. We can see why David and Jesus suffered because it was so long ago. Hindsight is 20/20 so they say. So, when we cry out to God and He doesn’t seem to answer, we can take comfort in knowing He is there, He is watching, His angels are surrounding us waiting for God to give them the go-ahead to minister to us. Then they rush in and we have peace. Peace that passes all understanding, because it comes at a time when we seem to have failed. David seemed to have failed because he ran away from his enemies, Jesus was a tired and hungry man alone in a dessert; the picutre of failure; and what a bigger sense of failure it must have been when he died utterly alone, with God not even looking at Him? But that is when triumph is at hand and God allows us to be ministered to and gives us peace.
Prayer
Father God, I do not ask for suffering, I don’t want to suffer. I never again want to feel dispair and hopelessness, but I know if I do, I can take comfort knowing You are there. I may not be able to feel You or sense you, but I KNOW because that is what faith is. I have faith, and therefore have hope, that You will rescue me when the time is right. You know WHY I suffer, help me to be strong during those times so that Your perfect plan can be accomplished in me and Your glory will shine from me and the whole world will know that YOU ARE GOD! Thank-you, Father.
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