My recent sicknesses have made me think about how I handle my life. Am I trying to do everything by myself, or am I allowing God to guide me? I remember thinking during a recent excruciating pain episode- guide me oh Lord; help me understand WHY this is happening to me?
Consider...
2 Samuel, Chapter 16 (WEB)
5 When king David came to Bahurim, behold, a man of the family of the house of Saul came out, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera. He came out, and cursed still as he came. 6 He cast stones at David, and at all the servants of king David, and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. 7 Shimei said when he cursed, “Be gone, be gone, you man of blood, and base fellow! 8 Yahweh has returned on you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned! Yahweh has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son! Behold, you are caught by your own mischief, because you are a man of blood!”
9 Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Please let me go over and take off his head.” 10 The king said, “What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? Because he curses, and because Yahweh has said to him, ‘Curse David;’ who then shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’”
11 David said to Abishai, and to all his servants, “Behold, my son, who came out of my bowels, seeks my life. How much more this Benjamite, now? Leave him alone, and let him curse; for Yahweh has invited him. 12 It may be that Yahweh will look on the wrong done to me, and that Yahweh will repay me good for the cursing of me today.” (emp added GDR) 13 So David and his men went by the way; and Shimei went along on the hillside opposite him, and cursed as he went, threw stones at him, and threw dust.
2 Samuel, Chapter 22 (WEB)
47 Yahweh lives!
Blessed be my rock!
Exalted be God, the rock of my salvation,
Yes, you lift me up above those who rise up against me.
You deliver me from the violent man.
50 Therefore I will give thanks to you, Yahweh, among the nations,
and will sing praises to your name.
51 He gives great deliverance to his king,
and shows loving kindness to his anointed,
to David and to his seed, forever more.”
David was very close to God; a sensitive man, yet one who fought many wars and shed much blood. He allowed Shimei, the son of Gera to curse him in the hopes God would see his situation and bless him. Later, in the same book (2 Samuel) David praises God who "executes vengeance for me".
Sometimes, the answer to our problems is to let things just happen and trust in God, who will sort it all out in the end. This reminds me of the following hymn....
1 Trials dark on ev'ry hand,
and we cannot understand
All the ways that God would lead us
to that blessed Promised Land;
But He'll guide us with His eye,
and we'll follow till we die;
We will understand it better by and by.
Chorus:
By and by, when the morning comes,
When the saints of God are gathered home,
We will tell the story how we've overcome;
We will understand it better by and by.
2 Oft our cherished plans have failed,
disappointments have prevailed,
And we've wandered in the darkness,
heavyhearted and alone;
But we're trusting in the Lord,
and according to His Word,
We will understand it better by and by. [Chorus]
3 Temptations, hidden snares
often take us unawares.
And our hearts are made to bleed
for some thoughtless word or deed.
And we wonder why the test
when we try to do our best,
We will understand it better by and by. [Chorus]
Sometimes, it is just best to smile and walk away, knowing that God has everything under control. Is that a smile I sense coming on???