Thurs.’s Devo -God’s Ways are Higher

Read: 1 Samuel 29:1-31:13; John 11:55-12:19; Psalm 118:1-18; Proverbs 15:24-26
Have you ever wondered why God didn’t allow you to be a part of something that, in your eyes, was a good thing? I look at this story with David and see God’s foresight and wisdom. David wanted to fight in the battle with the Philistines against Saul and his army. If he had fought in that battle where Saul and his sons all died, everyone in Israel would have blamed him for Saul’s death. He would have never been able to rule over a nation he had fought against.
God made a way of escape for David even if he might not have seen it that way at the time. Also, he needed to go home and save his family. God needed him to fight a different war.
David honored the king of Achish and left. If he had waited he might not have been able to save his town.
When all of David’s men blamed him for losing their families and possessions, David found strength in the Lord. He called for the ephod and the priest and asked God if they would find their families and restore their possessions. God said they would so he took 400 of the men who were willing to go and left 200 exhausted men to watch their equipment. They found a slave who had been left by the raiding party. They fed him and he led them to the Amalekite’s camp. David and his men were able to win back everything that had been taken from them and the Philistines. He returned to his 200 men and shared it with them. David made a lasting law that those on the front lines and those in the background helping all get the same reward. That is a good concept to remember when you feel insignificant when “all you do is pray”. It takes everyone!
In John, Jesus was on his way to the cross. He stopped by Mary and Lazarus’ house on the way. Mary anointed his feet with expensive perfume while Judas complained that she should have sold it and used the money for the poor. He didn’t care for the poor, he just saw a missed opportunity to have stolen it for himself.
The next day, Jesus entered Jerusalem with praises and palms as the passover lamb. He rode a donkey to fulfill the prophecy in Zechariah 3:15. Jesus was at the pinnacle of his popularity at that moment because everyone was talking about how he raised Lazareth from the grave. How quickly they would turn on him.
Lord, help us to remember that everything on this earth is temporal; only what we do for you is eternal. Help us not to waste our energy on things that are going to burn but sow our energy into things that can not be burned. Your faithful love endures forever!