An Amazing Attitude

Absalom was a handsome, ambitious prince—full of pride and exceedingly popular. Through craftiness and deception he managed to turn the hearts of many of his countrymen so that they aligned with him and were willing to end the life of their nation’s greatest king—David. Fortunately King David learned of the plot to assassinate him and fled before Absalom and his forces arrived in Jerusalem.  

​Can you fathom the depth of hurt that David felt?  His own son, whom he had pardoned for murdering another son—Amnon, was determined to destroy him.  His countrymen, whom he had rescued from the Philistines countless times, were willing to depose him.  If mountains are highs and valleys are lows, he was now in one of the deepest of valleys. So pay close attention to what David says to Zadok the priest in the words below.

Meditation
2 Samuel 15:25,26—Then the king instructed Zadok, “Return the ark of God to the city.  If I find favor in the LORD’s eyes, He will bring me back and allow me to see both it and its dwelling place.  However, if He should say, ‘I do not delight in you,’ then here I am—He can do with me whatever pleases Him.”
 
David exhibited the kind of attitude that God honors and loves. The words, “He can do with me whatever pleases Him,” literally mean, “what is good in His eyes.” God rescued “the favorite singer of Israel” (23:1), the warrior-king and restored him to his throne.   

Have you reached the point in your life that no matter how great the disaster or pain, you can say with peace, “Here I am God, You can do with me whatever pleases You?”  

When Kathleen and I moved to Colorado Springs from Tigard, Oregon, we took our oldest son Bryan with us. Bryan didn’t have a job or the means to support himself independently so with much sadness he left his friends and church family in Oregon.  On March 24th, 2015 he suffered a stroke (the result of all the radiation he absorbed before he turned four), and lost most of the functionality of his right side.  

​Already upset at having to leave Oregon, it would have been natural for Bryan to camp in the valley of depression.  Instead, he turned the opposite direction. He chose to be joyful! Despite the challenging road ahead of therapy he is relaxed and displays each day a calm acceptance of his situation.  With effort he walks.  With difficulty he tries to regain the use of his right hand.  Yet with courage his heart smiles as he trusts His Father. “Here I am, You can do with me whatever pleases you!”   
 
Inspiration
People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude.—John C. Maxwell
 
©2015 Daniel York  ARR. Reveration is the weekly devotional ministry of First Cause.  If you would like to receive these devotionals go to www.firstcause.org and click on the “Click here to receive weekly devotionals” box.  Unlimited permission to copy this devotional without altering text or profiteering is allowed subject to inclusion of this copyright notice.      
 
Ecclesiastes 12:10-The Teacher sought to find delightful sayings and to accurately write words of truth.  (Holman CSB)