Corona Devo 710

All of us must die eventually. Our lives are like water spilled out on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God does not just sweep life away; instead, he devises ways to bring us back when we have been separated from him. ~2 Samuel 14:14

Why are we holding a hot coal in our hand?

We think no one can see it because it's out of sight, but the Lord does. And He (sadly) sees the festering wound and pain that it continues to bring as we stubbornly maintain our tight grip.

Have we been holding onto a grudge/resentment/hurt for too long? It started out with hurt, but festered into anger and then our pride got stirred in and up with the mix of emotions and time...and so the separation stands/the silence is kept/the "wall" stays well-built between us and "them".

God's way is better, and it counteracts our emotional/entitled/selfish gut-reactions and long-standing grudges.  The time and missed opportunities lost in unforgiveness are parts (and people) in our lives being swept away.

God's way is better.  He's holding something in the palm of His hand too...us.  Even though and everytime we disrespect Him...he devises ways to bring us back when we have been separated from him (2 Samuel 14:14).

God's way is better.   He welcomes us back, and His example of forgiveness frees us up from the festering that resentments and grudges cause us.  

David's real-life family drama of this came when his one of his sons murdered(!) another of his sons.  The surviving one went away to another city for refuge, but after time, David missed him.  Love is strong and the embers continue to smolder even when life and sin threaten to douse it.  Our feelings and pride want to clutch the past, but God's way is better.

Through a series of events, David has a conversation with a woman from Tekoa who had a reputation for great wisdom (2 Samuel 14:2).

She tells David a story: “Alas, I am a widow!” she replied. “My husband is dead. (6) My two sons had a fight out in the field. And since no one was there to stop it, one of them was killed. (7) Now the rest of the family is demanding, ‘Let us have your son. We will execute him for murdering his brother. He doesn’t deserve to inherit his family’s property.’ They want to extinguish the only coal I have left, and my husband’s name and family will disappear from the face of the earth.”

(8) “Leave it to me,” the king (David) told her. “Go home, and I’ll see to it that no one touches him.”

(9) “Oh, thank you, my lord the king,” the woman from Tekoa replied. “If you are criticized for helping me, let the blame fall on me and on my father’s house, and let the king and his throne be innocent.”

(10) “If anyone objects,” the king said, “bring him to me. I can assure you he will never harm you again!”

(11) Then she said, “Please swear to me by the Lord your God that you won’t let anyone take vengeance against my son. I want no more bloodshed.”

“As surely as the Lord lives,” he replied, “not a hair on your son’s head will be disturbed!” ~2 Samuel 14:5-11

Did you catch what the woman from Tekoa who had a reputation for great wisdom was doing to David? She was restating his situation/grudge/resentment and making it her own. In doing so, David (a man of God's word and ways) knew to counsel and respond in love, even in the wake of sinful actions.

Did you catch what God is doing with us today? He is restating our broken situations/grudges/resentments and counseling us to respond in love, even in the wake of (others) sinful actions.

It's time to drop the hot coal. Gripping it has caused us enough hidden pain and for long enough. God knows that life is short, and so are our lives. Let's not waste any more time. God isn't.

“Please allow me to ask one more thing of my lord the king,” she said.

“Go ahead and speak,” he responded.

(13) She replied, “Why don’t you do as much for the people of God as you have promised to do for me? You have convicted yourself in making this decision, because you have refused to bring home your own banished son. (14) All of us must die eventually. Our lives are like water spilled out on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God does not just sweep life away; instead, he devises ways to bring us back when we have been separated from him. ~2 Samuel 14:12-14

Did you catch what God is speaking into our hearts today through this story of David and his sons, and the wise woman from Tekoa?

God's forgiven us. His way is better. He has no resentment toward us. He holds no grudge for the ways we've hurt Him or fallen short. He is better (and more holy and loving and forgiving) than that. God knows that life is short, and so are our lives.

Today, the Lord has devised ways to bring us back when we have been separated from him (2 Samuel 14:14).

The only thing God's holding in the palm of His hand is us. His way is better than the hot coal we've been clutching.

Let's not waste any more time. God isn't.

Blessings,

Sarah

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com