Rushing to Responsibility

(2 Samuel 15:1-12)

Life is full of times of preparation for what God has in store for us in the future. We see this clearly in the life of David, as he went through a long season of preparation so that he might be the greatest king in Israel’s history. But we also often want to rush through our preparation, we want to get straight to the freedom we think is coming, only to find that freedom is really more responsibility. Students want school to end only to find work is actually more difficult. We want to make more money, only to find the bills increase.

Absalom wanted to be king. He was the heir, it would come, but he wanted to skip preparation and rush to responsibility. He decided the best plan was to split the kingdom and steal hearts away from David, his father. How would David respond? His preparation taught him that only God can give and take away His anointing, so he didn’t need to fight to keep his crown. He needed only to trust God. If God wanted his son on the throne, then fighting his son would mean he would be fighting God. If God wanted David on the throne, then God would bring it about.

Sometimes we find ourselves in a difficult situation and we want it to end, to get to the next thing in life, but maybe God is still preparing us for that next thing. If I rush God’s timetable I miss out on what I need to be successful in the next stage of life. One thing I know is that life changes, our situation will eventually change as well. What is God trying to teach me in the present? The future will take care of itself.