Wednesday, July 6, 2022

            II Samuel is a continuation of the early years of Israel’s monarchy.  We learn of Saul’s death and David’s ascent to the throne as Saul’s successor—chosen and anointed by God to assume this role.  In II Samuel 7:16 we read, “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.”  These words were a promise that the Lord God made to David—an everlasting throne that would endure forever.  We believe that this promise found its fulfillment in the coming of Jesus who would come from the line of David and be granted all authority in heaven and on earth.  But there is another takeaway for us from this one passage.  God works in the present with the future always in mind.  Many of the actions that God undertakes today have ramifications in the decades to come or even well past our lifetimes.  Consider for a moment the example of Revelation—the last book in the Bible.  The Lord Jesus revealed to John the apostle the events of the last days and what would come to usher in the end of human history.  John did not live to see that day but He died with the assurance that God was in charge of history and would faithfully execute His plans and purposes to bring history to an end.
            We have to remind ourselves that God works in us today with tomorrow in mind.  God might bring a passage from the Bible to life today as you read and study Scripture.  And it could be that six months or a year from now you will remember that Scripture and the power and promise it brought to you.  And you will remember that God prepared you for today with that verse from months ago.  God saw the future and gave you a passage to trust from His Word.  God often teaches us life lessons today as a prelude for tomorrow.  When we engage in spiritual journaling, we can look back at where God was at work teaching, shaping and forming us for a moment that we had not yet seen or recognized. 
            In II Samuel, God was laying the groundwork for the coming of His Son Jesus from the line of David.  No one in David’s day or court would see Jesus or experience His miracles or teachings.  But they could remember with confidence that the Davidic line would never perish from the earth.  We often pray for months or years before we see or hear an answer to those prayers.  And occasionally, we never see an answer.  But God could be at work in and through us to bring an answer at a different time and at a time beyond our lives.  Someone has said that the gospel is concealed in the Old Testament and revealed by the New Testament.  Or, to put that another way, the gospel is contained in the Old Testament and explained in the New Testament.  God often works in our time with the future in mind.  God prepares parents for the children He brings to them.  God prepares a teenager or youth in a church retreat for a career that he or she launches a decade later. 
            Just because we may not see immediate evidence of God at work or God responding to our prayers does not mean He has forgotten us, ignored us or abandoned us.  Remember His time is not always our time.  And His ways are not always our ways.  David placed his faith and confidence in God’s promise to him and lived with the trust that God would bring the promise to fruition.  David was a player or a part of God’s larger plans and work.  Sometimes we have to recognize that we are players or parts too.  We may not see the end or reap the harvest.  But our mission is to trust unfailingly in God, to hold on unrelentingly to His promises and to remain totally faithful to the things we can do and control as we await God’s fulfillment of His plans.  Have a great Wednesday and remember you can share our worship with others anytime at youtube.com/FirstBaptistKannapolis.