As kids, we learned about a young boy named David. Just a little kid with a big faith in God. Everyone, even the bravest of soldiers, couldn't do what David did. Armed with a slingshot and a stone, David faced the giant Goliath. No doubt Goliath laughed and absolutely knew that David was no threat to him. Ah! But David had more than a slingshot and a rock. David had faith in God! A childlike faith perhaps. David knew what God told him to do and he obeyed. Goliath, who had defeated every attack up until that time, was no match whatsoever for the David's faith in God!
Well David grew and went thru some pretty crazy stuff. He became best friends with the King's son. King Saul because very much not a fan of David even though he enjoyed David's musical abilities. Interesting. Just had a thought. David was a very well rounded young man. Athletic and musically gifted. A Psalmist. Nice looking. And God's pick to be heir to the thrown. And he was named in the lineage of Jesus! Wow! God had amazing plans for that little shepherd boy!
Let's fast forward just a bit. Bathsheba. Oh the trouble that happens when lust is allowed to enter our minds! Now if David had seen Bathsheba and just looked away, life would have been so much simpler. But he didn't. If David had just resisted the temptation to have her brought to him. But he didn't. If David had drawn from the faith of his childhood. But he didn't. He allowed lust to take over and he committed adultery with Bathsheba. When it was discovered that she was pregnant with David's child, David tried to fix things. But it didn't work. David then tried to cover one sin with another and had Bathsheba's husband, Uriah the Hittite, killed. That allowed David to marry Bathsheba and make himself look like the good guy.
The baby was born. The baby became very sick. The baby died. And David found out that his sins were exposed. David spent time in regret. David spent time in mourning. David spent time in prayer. David spent time in repentance. Psalm 51 is David's prayer for pardon from God. I absolutely love Psalm 51! Years ago we had it on a cassette tape (pre-CDs in case you've never heard of a cassette tape) by Brown Bannister. That part of the tape probably wore pretty thin as we would rewind it and listen to it over and over and over, singing along with all our hearts. "Create in me a clean heart oh Lord my God. And renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Thy presence, oh Lord. Take not Thy Holy Spirit from me......Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation. And renew a right spirit within me. Within me."
David had realized he couldn't hide his sins from God. He repented. Was David perfect? No. So why did God call David a man after His own heart? Because David knew to repent and did. David had faith. And even though David forgot his faith and let his flesh make a mess of things at times, He always came back to God. David's choices made life for himself and his family very difficult. Death and destruction. Battles. Nevertheless.....God wrote a nevertheless in David's story! In Max Lucado's "Facing Your Giants" Mr. Lucado tells us that David was scorned just like satan dumps buckets of discouragement on us today:
"You'll never overcome your bad habits."
"Think you can overcome your addiction? Think again."
Mr. Lucado goes on. "If you've heard the mocking David heard, your story needs the word David's has.......Nevertheless." Has God written a nevertheless in your biography? In this same book Mr. Lucado refers to other examples:
Peter....the man who's motto was "speak now, think later". Nevertheless God released satan's stronghold on Peter's tongue and he became an amazing preacher.
And the woman at the well. Oh my! a five-time divorcee. Men used her a threw her away. Nevertheless, Jesus discipled her. And she then introduced her entire village to Jesus! (Would we listen to her today? Perhaps a topic for another blog.)
2 Corinthians 10 is Paul describing his own life. Paul, who had been Saul and persecuted Christians. Nevertheless! And oh what a nevertheless it was! Paul became an amazing evangelist, denying himself and spreading God's Word in a way that it even reached us!
Perhaps the biggest nevertheless....Jesus died. Nevertheless He rose again!
Do you need a nevertheless in your life? As David did, ask God to make your heart clean. Like David, stop listening to the mockers and Goliaths in your life. Listen to the voice of truth. The voice of God. Your heart. That's what He wants. Your heart may be hardened, broken or confused. Nevertheless He will make it clean and beat like new when you ask Him!
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