Scene 1: "And the Philistine said to David, 'Come to me and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!' ... So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine." I Sam 17:45 and 48.
Scene 2: "And David said to Jonathan, 'Indeed tomorrow is the New Moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king to eat. But let me go, that I may hide in the field until the third day at evening.'" I Sam 20:5
What a difference a few chapters makes! In I Sam 17, David was the young buck boldly running to defeat a large enemy in the name of the Lord. In I Sam 20, the same David is running wildly away from his own king and father-in-law. What is behind this difference? What stands out to me is the lack of focus on God. In chapter 17, David was all about defending God's glory with no thought to his own life. In chapter 20, David's primary concern seems to be that his life is imminent danger.
We all wax and wane in our boldness and strengths. It's good to see that David is human just like we are. However, is the waxing and waning simply a natural part of life or naturally the result of a wrong focus in life? When we focus on God, we are strong enough in Him to face every obstacle that comes our way--every time.
"God give me the grace to keep my focus continually on You. Smooth out the ups and downs in my boldness by enabling me to consistently move forward in the the boldness that comes from following You. Amen."
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