When everything around us is shaking, we need to find a place of calm. It can’t be found in some escape scheme, since we are looking for more than peace. It is our responsibility to affect our circumstances, not just survive them.
We have been intrigued by the story of David at Ziklag. He had been given this city by the king of the Philistines. David had been anointed king by Samuel the prophet, but spent almost 14 years trying to escape Saul, who was still holding the office. During that time, he worked alongside the Philistines, helping them fight their enemies. One day he came home to discover that the Amalekites had burned his city and taken everything, including his wives. He was greatly distressed and the people were talking of stoning him. So, he strengthened himself in the Lord. He then went to the priest to determine what course of action he was to take. What did David know that caused him to first strengthen himself in the Lord? What does that mean?
Neuroscientists tell us that in threatening situations we all experience fear. Some panic. Others move into a deliberate calm they call metacognition. They can think about where they are and what they should be concerned about.
Pilots are trained to handle emergences with deliberate calm. Military leaders are trained to face crises with the same greater knowledge. I was talking to a retired military officer who had listened to many tapes of soldiers’ last words. For instance, a helicopter pilot said, “We are taking fire and the ship is going down. I expect no survivors. Good day!” A squad leader who was trapped in open space by Taliban forces said, “We are taking direct fire. We’re in the open without cover. We cannot survive. It has been an honor serving under you sir…”
Metacognition in the military is a result of conscious choices and constant practice. That is what leadership training is all about. Pilots spend hours in simulators learning to think about thinking during emergencies. Recently we have all been impressed by the job done by Captain Sullenberger who safely “landed” in the Hudson River when both engines flamed out shortly after take off. He had seconds to make life-saving decisions for his crew and more than one hundred passengers. He couldn’t afford panic or paralysis in the face of threatening circumstances.
Is there a parallel in the spiritual realm? David knew he must move into a realm of calm before he chose a course of action. He strengthened himself in the Lord. He had some previous experience that helped here. Surely he would never forget the day Samuel came out to Jesse’s house to pick a king. All the boys marched before the prophet. Eliab was very impressive, as were some of the others, but none were chosen. Even Samuel was dismayed when God didn’t select any of them. Then they remembered David who was out keeping the sheep. He was too young, too short, too inexperienced, too unqualified. But, as he stood before the prophet, God indicated that this was his choice for the next king of Israel. Samuel poured the anointing oil on his head and the job was done.
David went back to his job of shepherding sheep, but he would not forget the lesson of that day: Man looks on outward appearance, but God looks on the heart. Saul had been picked by the people because he was impressive. He had the personality, the charisma, the looks, and the charm. But he had proven to be a man who judged by what his physical eyes could see. When he watched the enemies gather in increasing numbers while his own forces diminished, he concluded it was acceptable for him to act as priest and make sacrifice. He was wrong. When he saw the good sheep and goats of the Amalekites he concluded they would be good for saving even though he had been commanded to kill them all. He could not see beyond the observational and he thought with a mind committed to success in appearance. He even asks Samuel to keep from the people the news of his awful disobedience. Now God was picking the most “non-appearance” man to be his king. David noticed.
The first priority in facing any circumstance is to see the reality behind the appearance. Jesus said to Nicodemus,
“…unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” John 3:3 (ESV)
Paul explained how he was able to rejoice in the midst of the sufferings he faced.
“Therefore having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart…for this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:1, 17-18 (ESV)
God has us in the school of preparation like he did David. He orchestrates the circumstances to cloud the obvious so we will seek the reality behind the apparent.
We are not limited to the observable apparent. We are citizens of the kingdom of God and have the grace to see the unseen. It was the common equipment given to mankind in the Garden. Adam and Eve were aware of both worlds and their interconnection. After their fall, mankind was cut off from God’s revelation and began to operate primarily on the observable. On occasions, mankind would venture into the realm of the spirit illegally and gain information from the deceiver. Fortune telling, tea-leaves, and magic became popular to the fallen man who needed more than the apparent but could not gain it from God. When we are brought to the end of ourselves and don’t know what to do, we must see beyond the natural. That is one of the benefits given to the people of God.
In the Old Testament, God gave his people a way to gain insight beyond the observable. They had priests who maintained the ephod. They had prophets who heard words and delivered them to the people. All of these partial methods pointed to the full restoration that would come in the living Word of God. Jesus came into the world demonstrating how man could see what God revealed and act on a more complete knowledge than fallen man. He lived looking at the reality behind the apparent. His disciples didn’t understand, and the crowds thought he was mad. He never gave in to secondary causes. He was not distracted by people who defined reality incorrectly nor by the forces of Satan who defined reality deceptively. He was always responding first to God the Father. Then he handled the devil or the people based on that information.
Wisdom is the term used to describe the perspective of God. Solomon was known as the wisest man of his day. His wisdom came from seeing eyes and hearing ears. He was attuned to the revelation only God grants. Of course the wisdom of Solomon is a partial picture of the full wisdom revealed in the greater Solomon: Christ.
“He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom …” 1 Corinthians 1:30 (ESV)
We are blessed to be in Christ. That gives us the benefits that he deserves. He has granted to us the privilege of seeing with eyes of faith. He has said that wisdom is ours for the asking. James, the author of a book by that name, says in regard to responding to trials,
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” James 1:5 (ESV)
There is no reason for us to be limited to the apparent unless we fail to take advantage of the grace offered.
We live in a world enamored with the apparent. We “spin” all facts for their best impact on the apparent. We choose our heroes based on looks and personality. Our church leaders are those who have the most people in their group. We measure a person’s greatness on the basis of what he or she has built, what they have accumulated, or what positions they have held.
Recently a friend went to two funerals in one week. One was of a man known internationally for the things he had built. He had developed many projects and had his name and reputation connected with tall buildings and sprawling centers. He was on many influential boards and had accumulated lots of wealth. There were many people at his memorial who spoke of his achievements. The other was of a man who lived quietly and simply but committed to making true disciples of Jesus. He spent lots of time with men and their wives helping them to walk with Christ. At his memorial, the minister asked, “How many of you are in the kingdom of God today and owe your growth to this man?” Almost the whole congregation stood and applauded. Maybe they both did their assignment. However we seem to hold the first one up as the model and ignore the second. We continue to judge by the apparent.
Without divine revelation we will come to incorrect conclusions regarding the important things. We can’t know God without his gracious revelation. No man could ever think up the complex simplicity of grace. God is a projection of man’s mind until God opens that mind to reveal truth. We cannot know who we are without his gracious revelation. We see ourselves as sufficient. We identify ourselves according to ethnicity, geography, philosophy, or education. God identifies us according to faith in Jesus his Son. We cannot know what God is doing in our lives in our contemporary settings unless he shows us. But he will. He is not hesitant to reveal needed insight to the one who is committed to obey. Now, to the simply curious, he gives clues without explanation. To the stubborn, he gives information that leads to death.
What did David see when he took time to “strengthen himself in the Lord?” Maybe he saw that Ziklag was his city but not the final one. Maybe he saw that God was allowing this one to be destroyed because Zion was in his future. He was not destined to lead a Philistine city. He was to be king of the city of God. It would be a type of the final city, which includes the people from all over the world. Ziklag would have to burn.
It is a shame that today some are still trying to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem that was destroyed in 70 AD. They seem to miss the point that God has improved his temple. He has made us the living temple and the whole earth the temple mount.
When God reveals his perspective, we can enter the deliberate calm. He is fully in charge and we are being blessed, even if it doesn’t appear that way. He didn’t just write a book and leave us with printed instructions. He desires a living relationship in which a loving Father enjoys showing the sons and daughters what is theirs by virtue of their inheritance.
Before we run off trying to fix our problem, killing Amalekites, blaming God and venting anger, let’s move into the deliberate calm of God’s presence.
SYNERGY - Better Together: October 01, 2010 click for more > Five Pillars of New Testament Discipleship: : October 15, 2010 click for more > Family Reunion Retreat: December 03, 2010 click for more >
