A week or so ago, I was reading in the book of I Samuel and began to focus on a section of Scripture I had not thought about in a while. It is the one where David, the shepherd boy, is playing his music for King Saul. For no apparent reason, the king throws his spear at David announcing, "I will pin David to the wall with it." I have been thinking about the spears of life that are thrown toward us in our lives as well. Often they are just as unexpected and unwelcome, yet nevertheless can be a part of our spiritual growth and subsequent evidence of God's grace.
I am thinking especially about the many people in America now who are struggling financially because of job layoffs, illnesses, divorces, and just plain high prices for house payments, gas, and groceries. As Americans we have too often rested the past sixty years or so upon the assurance that our country is No. 1 in the world. We have depended on our ingenuity, hard work, and optimism to propel us forward and away in spite of spears that might be thrown our way.
Today, however, we might have moved beyond what our own power can accomplish. We live in a world where we are often more controlled by circumstances than free will. I have a good friend with a Ph.D. who has been looking for a position for months, even years. I have a family member who is divorcing. I have several friends who, like my husband and me, are retired, on a fixed income, and are seeking creative ways to balance the budget each month. I have an acquaintance who just had a multiple heart bypass. While we certainly never seek these trials in our lives, it is possible to at least not be pinned to the wall--if we seek God's help. I Samuel 18: 14 tells us, "God was with him [David]" and allows David to escape the spear twice. In fact, the Scripture states that assurance two times just in case we did not hear it the first time. David, of course, went on to become King David who was loved and adored not only by his people but also described as a man "after God's own heart."
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