Week 47 – November 17-23, 2024: A Man After God’s Own Heart

This week’s daily readings:

November 17-23, 2024

This week’s devotional:

A Man After God’s Own Heart

by Sue Hersey

Scripture:

So David and his men continued along the road while Shimei was going along the hillside opposite him, cursing as he went and throwing stones at him and showering him with dirt. The king and all the people with him arrived at their destination exhausted. And there he refreshed himself. 

— 2 Samuel 16:13-14 (NIV) 

Reflection:

Have you ever had to deal with someone being mean to you? I certainly have. Whether justified or not, it can be a horrible situation and difficult to withstand. It’s exhausting even, to you and sometimes to the people around you, as well! And while verbal abuse can hurt deeply and leave scars that last a lifetime, having stones and dirt thrown at you, too, has got to be even worse. This is part of what King David experienced in the Scripture above as he fled the city of Jerusalem, his kingdom overthrown by one of his own sons. 

I recently had someone I thought was a friend turn angry with me and decide to let the world know how she felt on social media. Undeniably, the worst part was when she said, “and she calls herself a Christian!” as if nothing could be further from the truth. Those words really wounded me and made me want to lash out to defend myself or maybe even strike back with my own insults. I thought about blocking her. I thought about setting the record straight with my own tirade. And finally, I thought to humbly bring the issue to God in prayer. That was when I found comfort and peace. Only God is equipped to really do something about a situation like that, and who better than God to remind you of who you really are in Christ?! 

Just think of all the ways that David could have dealt with this abuse. Being king, he could have killed the man for the things he’d done or had one of his men do it. At the very least, he could have had him arrested or let the man have a piece of his mind. Another man might have fought valiantly in order to cling to his throne. But David did none of those things; instead, he humbled himself before God and turned the other cheek. No wonder he was called “a man after God’s own heart!” as he’s referred to in Scripture (1 Samuel 13:14 and Acts 13:22). David saw the possibility that the man who was abusing him was acting on God’s behalf. The Bible (if not our own experience) will tell us that we cannot succeed against the will of God, and David understood that better than most. Insisting on having our own way is being prideful. Instead, we need to put pride aside, admit our own weaknesses, and seek God’s will and forgiveness.

So once again, David took the right course of action and kept himself from pursuing vengeance or giving as good as he got. He humbled himself like Christ would, and held on to the hope that only obedience can bring: the hope that, even when everything seems to be going wrong, God’s perfect plan will prevail and he will be gifted with comfort and refreshment in the end. And so he was! 

Prayer:

O Lord my God, I think of all the hurtful times and wonder if I’ll ever really put those old insults behind me. Please forgive me for at least wanting to lash back in anger, as that’s no way to deal with a broken heart. Lord, I come to you humbly, as David (and even Jesus himself) did, asking you to forgive my shortcomings and remind me once again that I am your beloved child! Help me to be more like David was: a person after your own heart, remembering to seek and to trust your will for my life, guided by your great wisdom and the power of your love. Please don’t let the hurt and exhaustion overtake me, but always refresh me at the end of my trials. And thank you, Holy Spirit, for helping me to learn from this amazing story how a truly God-centered life can be lived! In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen