One Good Thing Every Day: March 11, 2013
"Sometimes, nothing ushers in a fresh perspective like a good night's sleep."
"Through [David's] example, we are reminded no matter what our circumstances, we can sleep peacefully when we put our trust in the Lord."
From Henry T. Blackaby's Experiencing God
"[David] didn't depend on yesterday's guidance for today's decision."
Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God.
Give me relief from my distress;
have mercy on me and hear my prayer.
How long will you people turn my glory into shame?
How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?
Know that the Lord has set apart his faithful servant for himself;
the Lord hears when I call to him.
Tremble anddo not sin;
when you are on your beds,
search your hearts and be silent.
Offer the sacrifices of the righteous
and trust in the Lord.
Many, Lord, are asking, “Who will bring us prosperity?”
Let the light of your face shine on us.
Fill my heart with joy
when their grain and new wine abound.
In peace I will lie down and sleep,
for you alone, Lord,
make me dwell in safety.
When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over all Israel, they went up in full force to search for him, but David heard about it and went out to meet them.Now the Philistines had come and raided the Valley of Rephaim; so David inquired of God: “Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you deliver them into my hands?”
The Lord answered him, “Go, I will deliver them into your hands.”
So David and his men went up to Baal Perazim, and there he defeated them. He said, “As waters break out, God has broken out against my enemies by my hand.” So that place was called Baal Perazim.The Philistines had abandoned their gods there, and David gave orders to burn them in the fire.
Once more the Philistines raided the valley; so David inquired of God again, and God answered him, “Do not go directly after them, but circle around them and attack them in front of the poplar trees. As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the poplar trees, move out to battle, because that will mean God has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army.” So David did as God commanded him, and they struck down the Philistine army, all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.
I smiled when I saw the statement from A Jane Austen Devotional the day after I lost an hour of sleep because of the time change. But, I can attest that a good night's sleep makes all the difference when facing a new day of decisions. I love the reminder in Blackaby's book because a solution from the previous day cannot always be applied to now. Every decision requires calling out to God as David did in Psalms 4 and in 1 Chronicles 14:8-16. Notice how God simply says "Go, I will deliver them into your hands" the first time, but in essence says, "Wait! I want you to climb these poplar trees until you hear them coming. Then attack." Like David, I need to remember that some days God says "go" and other times He says "wait." He may say, "I've got this one." Or He may tell me, "Do this first. It may not make sense, and you may not think you can do it. But, if you follow my instructions, you will know what to do when the time comes." Either way, no matter the season of life or time of the day, I need to be ready to surrender my plans, even if it means resting in the boughs of a poplar tree.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Four_Poplars_in_four_seasons.JPG