2 Samuel Intro
1 Samuel 2:1-10, 2 Corinthians 2:19, Psalm 6:3, Psalm 16:9-11
The past few months have been a movement from difficult to joyful. I can’t deny the good happening around me but the difficulties are heavy and burdensome. I was having a conversation with a friend while processing some hard things and in her wisdom she says “God wants your honest heart”. This phrase pulled out a moment of clarity in how I hold myself back in my relationship with Jesus - how I am tempted to hide the hard things from Him. I believe that sometimes avoiding the hard stuff will make me “feel better”. How can we balance honesty with God while ultimately believing in His goodness and kindness?
The entirety of 2 Samuel, I believe, addresses this in two words: lament and joy. When we dive into 2 Samuel we read about David’s successes, failures, and response. The prayer at the beginning of 1 Samuel 2 is prevalent in addressing the theme for this book; “The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and he exalts.” God, the authority and author of our lives, see’s our brokenness and joy. He sees our faults and success. For David, alllll of that was on display. We see this lament and joy in the Psalms as David processes death, grief, sin, brokenness, joy, the power of redemption, and the desire for a ‘path of life’.
This book should make us look at all those things and wonder, how can each emotion and circumstance coexist together while deserving time and place in our hearts and minds. David’s story helps us to understand that the depth of who we are requires a Savior. That feeding into our fleshly desires will not save us, nor will it fulfill us. It shows us how unrepented sin may lead to a deeper struggle in the future and the consequences of our actions can have an effect on people and ourselves.
How do you process grief and struggle? How do you see hope in the midst of hard things? Take time to really be honest with yourself and God of how you struggle in hardship. Believe that God’s grace is enough for us and covers all the things we may feel shame or guilt over. Just like David we can come with an honest posture.
