Stronger and Stronger in Christ
And David grew stronger and stronger, while the House of Saul became weaker and weaker. (II Samuel 3:16)
II Sam 3:1; Ex 14:30, 15:2; Isa. 40:31; II Cor. 12:9-10; Eph. 3:16
What Is God Saying?
First Samuel is a record of failure. Saul is in the spotlight. He was the people's choice for a king, and although he showed great promise, he disappointed. Second Samuel is the record of God's choice for a king. David had many faults, but he always gave glory to God. God could use him. When he slew Goliath armed with a slingshot and five smooth stones, he cried out, "That all the earth may know there is a God in Israel." His courage and singleness of heart toward God continued until he became the king of all Israel.
Second Samuel is David at his best. Our Lord Jesus, on His human side, is descended from the House of David. For all his honors and brave accomplishments, David proved to be human. At the height of his success, he fell. Through sincere repentance, he was restored. Although he experienced sorrow in his later years, he was still a "man after God's own heart." We are reading about a time when David's house or dynasty is getting stronger and stronger. The power struggle continued between Saul's house and David's for seven and a half years. Saul's house did not die easily, but the cause was lost. It grew weaker and weaker. The reason? God was against it. This is the rationale of today's verse.
How Does This Apply To Us?
Our strength or lack of it depends on our relationship with God. If we love Him, obey Him, and seek His glory in all that we do, we grow stronger. We grow weaker if we live as though He were not important and regard His Word with only casual interest. Strength that does not have its origin in God is weakness. Weakness that makes itself available to God is strength. Paul said, "I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses that the power of Christ may rest upon me. When I am weak, then I am strong" (II Cor. 12:9-10). To be in Christ is to have more and more of Christ. Being in Christ simply means more Christ. Saul was a man after Saul's heart, and his house grew weaker. David was a man after God's heart, and his house grew stronger.
Pray With Me
Lord, by deliberate choice, I make You my refuge. I seek no other help. I need no other hope. My grateful heart sings with joy, "Your grace is sufficient for me, and Your power is made perfect in weakness." I am in constant touch with the almightiness of God. Help me to understand that so long as I remain in the fellowship of Your love, walk in the heart of Your truth, and abide in the life of Your Son, I will, like David, grow stronger and stronger. "To him who has will more be given." To be like Christ is to be more like Christ. To be strong in the Lord is to be stronger in the Lord. Faith is a life of increasing joy, strength, and greater victories.
May I give all diligence to remain in this relationship with You. May I remember that "from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away." The house of Saul became weaker and weaker because Saul had broken away from a life of obedience. Deliver me from such a foolish decision. The choice is so near at hand, so easy, and so tempting. I cannot relax my guard. The Lord turned from Saul, and his house grew weaker and weaker. The Lord sought out David, a man after God’s heart, and he grew stronger.
Give me the grace and wisdom to abide in You, to set my affection and to place my confidence in nothing less than You, and to value Your presence above all. Let me, like David, be a person after Your heart. Then, I shall grow stronger and stronger by a law that is indelibly written and by an inexhaustible grace.
To the glory of the Lord, who is my Strength and Redeemer. Amen.
Moving On In The Life of Prayer
The purpose of prayer is to determine God's will, and the blessing of prayer is to receive God's strength. Through prayer, we grow stronger and stronger in courage, love, faith, virtue, and character.
Stronger or weaker? Prayer makes the difference. Sometimes, all the difference.
