trouble

1 Samuel 24:5
“Now it happened afterward that David’s heart troubled him because he had cut Saul’s robe.”

Life is filled with obstacles. We face constant trials that make this journey difficult. Yet, it seems we can handle almost anything except a troubled heart. When we are overwhelmed from within, it makes even the lightest burdens seem too great to bear. Our hearts are often troubled by loss, disappointment, fear or anxiety. David found there was another cause for a troubled heart – sin.

Whatever liberties others might have had, David knew for certain, he was “not to touch the Lord’s anointed.” In other words, David would not be the one to take Saul’s life, no matter what. David knew God wanted his complete trust. When he sat upon Israel’s throne, it would be because God had paved the way. On this particular day, David allowed his companions to influence his actions, and he crossed a line God set for him. Sneaking up behind Saul, he cut a piece of fabric from his coat. No sooner was the deed done, David’s heart began to speak to him. Guilt, disappointment, fear, and shame began to well up within him. How could he have done such a thing. He was the man after God’s heart, the worship leader of the palace, and the future king, yet he had stooped to disobedience under pressure from his friends.

David is not alone in his actions. Countless saints have allowed their judgment to be influenced by the whispers of their friends. Men and women whose lives have been dedicated to Christ, have fallen under the sway of others and led into actions that trouble the heart. Fortunately for David, this is not the end. We read of David’s actions to right his wrong, and sooth his troubled soul.

Whatever the cause of your troubled heart, the remedy is found in coming to the Lord and receiving the sweet comfort He provides. If your heart is troubled by pain or loss, know that He suffered in all points as we do, and understands our ways. If your hearts is troubled because of sin, the right course of action is confession, repentance, and learning to cling to the promises of God.

Pastor Jim

Judges 10:14
“Go and cry out to the gods which you have chosen; let them deliver you in your time of distress.”

It is common for people to show no interest in God until calamities arises. As long as life is going their way, they are not concerned with God, but as soon as things get difficult, suddenly, they cry to God for help. Those who have shown no interest in the ways of God, suddenly blame God for the calamity they are facing, and cry out to Him to fix everything.

Many in Israel found themselves facing the threat of death. They had left the Word of God and were living life their own way. This “free living” led them once again into hardship, and they cried out to God for deliverance. Time and time again, they cried out for help, and God provided deliverance, but this time was different. This time God responded,

“Go and cry out to the gods which you have chosen; let them deliver you in your time of distress.”

If you are living life by your own standards, ignoring the Word and ways of God, you cannot expect God to bail you out when things go wrong. He may respond by telling you to ask your own self-will, or the gods of possessions, or pleasures for help. Fortunately, for Israel and for us, this is not the end of the story. We read,

Judges 10:15-16
“And the children of Israel said to the Lord, ‘We have sinned! Do to us whatever seems best to You; only deliver us this day, we pray.’ So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the Lord. And His soul could no longer endure the misery of Israel.”

Instead of treating God like their cosmic servant, they realized they had been living wrong. They took inventory of their lives, removed all the things that were forbidden by God, and made strides to get their lives to line up with His Word. We read, as God observed their repentance, He could no longer resist His own desire to come to their aid.

Today would be a good day to take inventory of your life. Are you living according to your own standards and asking God to bless your ways? Or have you surrendered to Him and His Word? Let’s put away anything that is foreign to Him, that we might experience the blessed life He promises to those who follow Him.

Pastor Jim