DOES IT MATTER WHO CARES –

There were occasions when David could afford to wait for God to rescue him, but there were other times when he felt extremely pressed and needed an answer right away. Those were the incidents when people he thought were loyal to him, betrayed him; it was then that his patience and resolve were tested most severely. Nothing tried David more than Absalom’s rebellion, aided by some of David’s closest advisers, in a bitter subversiveness of their loyalty to him. It may have been prevented if David had initially taken a harder stand in dealing with Absalom’s foolish murder of Amnon. But now his lack of action was coming back to haunt him.

“I sit here quietly waiting only for my One True God to give me an answer; there’s no one else who can solve this dilemma but Him. It’s His blessed assurance that keeps my faith strong and secure; as a matter of fact He’s the only one I know I can trust completely. I keep wondering how long I’ll suffer undue criticism by people who think I’m a push-over; I wish they had to go through what I’m going through. They have one goal in mind: that is to destroy my reputation. They seem to enjoy being hypocritical by saying good things to my face, but behind my back they are vicious. But I’m not going to complain while I wait for my One True God to act; just knowing that He cares, keeps my hopes alive. It’s His blessed assurance that keeps my faith strong and secure; as I said, He’s the only one I know I can trust completely. So I say to all my fellow believers; don’t hesitate to pour out your hearts to Him; our One True God will not let you down. Remember, people with little to offer appear and then vanish like one’s breath in cold air, while highly successful people are like a mirage. And when put together they offer less than a breath of hot air. So don’t put your trust in uncertain investments, nor put your hopes in dishonest deals; even when offered a chance to strike it rich, pay no attention to it. For our One True God made one important statement from which I have gotten two nuggets of wisdom: that all authority belongs to our One True God, and, that the ability to see us through also belongs to Him. So it is our One True God who will reward every person according to their faithfulness in serving Him.” Psalm 62:1-12

Reflection: Civilla Durfee Martin, a school teacher born in Nova Scotia, Canada, lay on her sick bed in a Bible School in Lestershire, New York. As she laid there one Sunday afternoon, while her husband was out on a preaching assignment, she began to think about her miserable condition. She and her husband had dedicated their whole lives to ministry, sacrificing whatever it took to get the job done. Yet, here she lay stricken and unable to serve alongside her mate any longer. But instead of complaining she decided to express her feelings in poetry, saying how she really felt about her situation. Here are some of the words she wrote: “Be not dismayed whate’er betide, God will take care of you; beneath His wings of love abide, God will take care of you. God will take care of you, through every day, over all the way; He will take care of you, God will take care of you.” That poem was put to music and became one of the favorite hymns of the church. And just to show she was not finished, she later wrote another poem put to music entitled, “His Eye is on the Sparrow,” that goes: “Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come, Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heav’n and home, When Jesus is my portion? My constant Friend is He: His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me; His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.” David no doubt saw his situation in a similar light. Here was a young lad called of God to slay a giant; then after being anointed as king, had to run for his life just to fulfill God’s plan. He finally made it to the throne as a renowned warrior and champion. But now, here he sat in a lonely wilderness refuge because one of his sons, and several of his trusted aides, plotted against him. Yet, like Civilla he was sure that his God would take care of him. If your problems have been similar to theirs, then be glad you can trust the LORD the same way they did?