Skip to main content

Inquiring Minds....

It is the week of my 50th birthday. Encountering certain milestones tends to make one a little more introspective. I am coming upon this one with a certain measure of uncertainty - where do I go with the  rest of my life?

As I look back over the years, there are many moments, decisions, and choices made that I am not proud of or happy with. Without a doubt, those are times in my life where I did not "inquire of the Lord." Over the past couple of weeks studying the lives of David and King Saul, the times they did and did not inquire of the Lord stand in stark contast. The difference between having a listening spirit and a hardened heart is evident.

Certainly, I do not want to end my life like Saul. All of his work, achievements, accomplishments meant nothing because he did not have a right relationship with God. Everything he worked for was snatched away and handed to antoher because he was disobedient.

David was not perfect by a long shot. He did not always remember to seek God in every decision and he made some bad ones. Even knowing this, God chose him as Saul's successor because he was a man after His own heart. How does that work? David was a polygamist, he committed adultery and murder. He was a terrible father. Ultimately, I think it comes back to the state of his heart. His was sinful and "deceitful above all else" just as ours are and Saul's was. But David knew that God was his refuge, he was repentant when confronted or convicted of his sin. His desire was to have an intimate relationship with God above all else.

In spite of his shortcomings, David left an eternal legacy. He had an earthly dynasty that reigned in Israel for many decades. It was from his line that the Messiah would come and establish his kingdom forever. Redemption...

David is a beautiful model of redemption. With all the wrong he did in his life, he sought the Lord's forgiveness and it was given. Not only that, he was used mightily of God in establishing the earthly kingdom of Israel. It gives me hope to think that the poor decisions in my own life can be redeemed and my life will leave an eternal legacy, as well. Perhaps not like David's - but eternal none the less.

So, as I move into the next decade of my life, I plan to inquire more of the Lord and to wait on His answers and guidance. Not only an inquiring mind but an inquiring heart as well.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Leaving Your Nets

Matthew 4:20 "AT ONCE they left their nets and followed Him (Jesus)."  Matthew 4:20 records the response of Peter and Andrew to the call of Jesus to be his disciples. They literally walked off the job and into ministry. We have the advantage of viewing this story with hindsight and the scripture, but Peter and Andrew were in the moment... Jesus was a hometown boy, a carpenter. He hadn't really started his ministry, yet. Surely he had been preaching in the area and the disciples knew what kind of man he was. But still... Fishing was a major industry around the Sea of Galilee and most fisherman belonged to family owned business. Can you imagine old Zebedee's face when somebody walked in his "office" and told him Peter and Andrew had taken off with the new preacher? How do you go home and tell your wife that you walked off the job for a ministry with no pay? How do you feed your kids? Their security was gone. Their income was gone. Possibly a few r

Inspired by Obedience

And He said to all, "If any would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me." Luke 9:23 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." Philippians 1:20 - 21 I have only known in my life one person that truly personified those verses. In 2009, one of our youngest, most energetic ministers was taken to the hospital emergency room with chest pain. He was healthy and athletic. He taught PE at our local high school. This trip to the hospital began a journey that would last the next three years and affect more lives than anyone could have ever anticipated. Mike Storter was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia. Mike immediately began treatments for his disease and for a short period during these years was considered cancer-free. It was a

Mono Diaries Lesson 1: Be Careful What You Pray For

I haven’t written in a long time and decided I would make the most of my time of confinement. The first quarter of two thousand eighteen has been a difficult and stressful one for my husband and I.  Dealing with issues related to aging parents has put a strain on us that we could not have anticipated. Wanting to do what is best for them, still do what is best for us, dealing with dementia, hospitalizations, nursing homes has been enough to create a level of stress that has taken a toll. On a particular week when we had been running back and forth to facilities, doctor appointments, and just trying to keep up with day to day responsibilities, I remember venting to the Lord in my quiet time and praying what I have come to see as a fateful prayer. I remember, probably a little resentfully, telling God that I wished I could have a day to just do nothing and read a book..... As of today, I have had FIFTEEN days to do nothing and read books. As a matter of fact, it is being encour