(Read 1 Samuel 23:13,14 NLT) So David and his men—about 600 of them now—left Keilah and began roaming the countryside. Word soon reached Saul that David had escaped, so he didn’t go to Keilah after all. David now stayed in the strongholds of the wilderness and in the hill country of Ziph. Saul hunted him day after day, but God didn’t let Saul find him.
This morning we continue our series “Grace that is Simply Amazing.” For the past few Fridays I have been closing out the week with a message outside of David’s life, but this morning I feel led to stay right here and to continue to flow in the vein we are in. Yesterday I covered 12 verses and when I cover a large passage I simply suggest you read it, but I don’t give you the entire text in the message. This morning I am only covering two verses, so I have provided you the text. Two major points jumped out at me this morning from these two verses. I will tell you what they are.
After David was led of God to save the people of Keilah from the hand of the Philistines, and he found out that Saul was on his way to attack him, David asked God two questions. They were basically, “Is Saul coming?” and “Will these people, who I just saved, betray me and hand me over to Saul?” God’s answer to David was “Yes” for both questions. The fact that Saul was coming was not strange to David, because it was no secret that Saul wanted him dead. But I am sure that David was disappointed to find out that the people of Keilah, whom he had just saved, were so quick to stab him in the back. So David had to do what he had been doing for a while, and he went back on the run.
David did not flee back to the safety of the Cave of Adullam. Instead, David and his men roamed the countryside. As I was picturing David and his men, attempting to find cover and concealment along the countryside, I noticed that the text said David had 600 men by now. Chapter 22 opened with David hitting his lowest point in a cave, all alone, when God started to send people his way, until he had 400 men to lead. Here we are a chapter later, not much has happened since David became the commander of his rag-tag bunch, and already the group has grown by 50%. The Bible does not tell us how the growth happened, but while David was waiting on God and doing what God was leading him to do, men kept coming and joining his militia. That’s the first thing that jumped out at me from this passage.
The second point that resonated with me this morning comes from this phrase: “Saul hunted him day after day, but God didn’t let Saul find him.” For years I have taught on faith and our responsibility towards God, but in this series, where the Lord is leading me to teach on grace, I am being forced to acknowledge God’s sovereignty and His commitment to us. While David and his men were roaming the countryside, not necessarily standing in faith, not making any sacrifices to God, not performing any acts of worship, and not doing anything to initiate the supernatural, God was shielding them from Saul, confusing Saul’s scouts, and not allowing Saul to find David. Why did God do it? The answer is simple: GRACE. Not just any grace. No, this is the grace of God, and yes, it is amazing!
So what does this mean to you today? Two things:
1. God is blessing you DURING the process. Many like to acknowledge major checkpoints in life like a graduation, a promotion, or arriving at a certain level, putting on a certain rank, etc., but God does not hold back His blessing until a major moment. No, His blessing flows daily and while many only acknowledge The Blessing of the Lord during major moments, if you would slow down long enough to recognize it, the Lord is blessing you daily, DURING the process of becoming the person He has destined you to be. David was called to be king, but The Blessing was working in his life even when he was in a cave, or roaming the countryside on the run. So don’t wait for a major moment to acknowledge what God is doing in your life, because He is working daily. Every day you should be on the lookout for ways God is moving in your life and you should be quick to give Him praise every step of the way. Yes, you are in the process of development, but guess what? You are being blessed IN the process. You serve a God who does not withhold His blessing for special occasions. He wants to bless you richly, daily!
2. God protects you by grace. I may not know you, but if I met you some day and I asked you to tell me your story, to tell me what God has done for you, I am sure you would have something to say. However, you can only tell me PART of the story. You will have to wait until you get to heaven to find out ALL God has done for you. You don’t know of the countless times God stepped in — without you knowing it and without you doing anything to prompt it — to protect you from an enemy, from an attack, from an accident, from a drunk driver, from… you get the point. God has been working behind the scenes in your life, all your life, protecting you for His plans and purposes and He has been doing it by grace. Not because you deserved it, not because you did anything to initiate it, not because you earned it, but simply because He loves you and He wanted to protect you. Isn’t that awesome? So this morning, before you leave where you are right now, take a few minutes to give God praise for ALL He has done in your life – for what you know about and for what you won’t find out about until you get to heaven. As you do you will be acknowledging God’s amazing grace in operation in your life.
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You blessing me during the process. I have not arrived at Your desired destination for my life. I have not yet become the person You have called, destined, desired, or designated me to be. I am still in the process of becoming and developing, but I thank You for NOT reserving Your blessing until the end. You have blessed me, You are blessing me, and You will continue to bless me, even as I am becoming the person You want me to be. I have not finished the process, but You love me enough to bless me during the process, while I am becoming, and for that I will never cease to give You praise. You are better to me than I am to myself. You are awesome Father and Your grace is amazing. I know You have shielded me from attacks I knew nothing about. I am going to have to wait until I get to heaven to find out about all the times You kept from from planned attacks and freak accidents. I have no idea how many times You kept a drunk driver from running into my car, or a disgruntled co-worker from carrying out a ploy against me. You protect me in ways I know of, but You also shield me from all sorts of dangers I know nothing about. And to make a good situation even better, Father You choose to protect me by grace. Even when I have done nothing to initiate supernatural protection, You have stepped in for me, to protect me for Your Kingdom plans and purposes for my life. You have blessed me and protected me by grace and for that I am extremely thankful. Father, this morning I give You praise for all things I know about and for the things I won’t find out about until I get to heaven. I take a few moments for a praise break right now and I give You praise for being so good to be. For thine is the Kingdom, Power, and Glory, for ever and ever, and I shall never forget it! I love You Father and thank You for loving me. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
