Delayed for Destiny

1 Samuel 25:31 KJV

[31] that this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord, either that thou hast shed blood causeless, or that my lord hath avenged himself: but when the LORD shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember thine handmaid.

Hello, my friend…

This is an interesting passage of scripture because it shows us real-life situation in the life of David.

At the time this event happens, David is between his anointing as the next king of Israel and his actual ascent to the throne. If you remember your Bible, during this time the sitting king, Saul, is attempting to kill David. (Speaking of interesting human studies, I invite you to read through the life of Saul. It is very revealing of even your and my own thoughts and intents.) David has, by this time, gathered around him mighty men whom he has trained for combat.

As this particular story unfolds, David appears to be running short on supplies (mainly food), so he decides to send his men to a man named Nabal – whose men and property David had previously protected in passing. The hope was that Nabal would supply enough food to help David and his men through until… Nabal, however, was a rather insolent fellow (nice way of saying it), so he chose to disrespect and bad-mouth David and his men. David initially responded as most men would (in the flesh) – he geared up to attack.

In the meantime, Nabal’s wife, Abigail, heard what had happened and immediately went into action to intercept David’s plan. While we don’t know the extent of Nabal and Abigail’s knowledge of God’s plan for David and the nation of Israel, it would appear Abigail knew enough. She prepared enough food for David and his men, loaded it up, and went out to meet him. The Bible tells us her words as she discouraged David from carrying out his attack, pleading with his sense of destiny and honor. She appealed to him as a godly man, reminding him that this would be a hindrance to him later when God had placed him on the throne. As she finished her entreaty, she asked him to remember what she had done when he came into his appointed position as king. Again, this is an interesting study in human psychology and spiritual counsel.

Soon after this encounter, Nabal died and David married Abigail. Obviously, he remembered. Here is where my message to you begins, my friend. It is important for us to have wise and godly people around us. Equally important, it is necessary for them to have permission to speak wise counsel into our lives. Probably most important is that we are humble enough and smart enough to not just hear what they have to say, but recognize that God may be using them to spare us further delay or potential shipwreck at our own hand. Such was the case here. Abigail exercised great courage in intercepting David and his warriors. She also displayed godly wisdom and the ability to communicate that very clearly and convincingly. David, on the receiving end, was smart enough to at least stop and hear what she had to say. He also listened with a heart after God’s own heart, weighed the value in her words, and changed course.

I don’t know about you, but I am most blessed to have surrounded myself with a very tight-knit, close band of brothers (and sisters) who feel comfortable speaking into my life. Not only the good things, either. Sometimes what they have to share with me is not favorable. But, by so doing, they offer me a better option – perhaps one I hadn’t considered or was totally unaware of. They not only hear from God on my behalf; they are able to tell me in very clear terms what they feel God wants me to consider. I wish I could tell you I have always listened, but I can’t. By the same token, I wish I could tell you that their counsel was always on point and mine was wrong, but, again, I can’t say that either. We read in Proverbs that “…in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.”

I encourage you, dear friend, to seek out those whose hearts are pursuing God. Take your time to evaluate them – watch their lifestyles, check their walk in Him, listen as they speak to others (if you have the opportunity), and try their spirits. If they regularly give sound counsel, if their lives are in keeping with the Word of God, and if they show a respectful and humble spirit in their correction or instruction, then by all means receive from them. If any of these elements are missing, I would advise you to receive their message with caution. Not that they are completely off or incorrect, I would just ask you to seek your own heart and strongly consider. If their words confirm the leading you have already sensed in your own spirit, then, by all means, push forward. If not, pray for clear and unmistakable direction before proceeding.

May God place such men and women around you that you hear the voice of God and see His hand at work in your life. I pray this grace from the Lord over you today.

Be blessed.