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RE: Counting On God!
Jon Burgess“David was now in great danger because all his men were very bitter about losing their sons and daughters, and they began to talk of stoning him. But David found strength in the Lord his God. Then he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring me the ephod!” So Abiathar brought it.”
1 Samuel 30:6-7
When things went from bad to worse David went from worse to worship. This wasn't the first time and wouldn't be the last when it looked like this was the end for David. Have you ever asked yourself how he "found strength in God"? The answer can be found by looking at his history. When pursued by Saul he wrote Psalm 59- determined praise. When imprisoned in Gath he wrote Psalm 56- unfailing trust. When running from Absalom he wrote Psalm 3- full surrender. When hiding in the wilderness of Judah he wrote Psalm 63- seeking the Lord. This is pattern of prayer and praise in the midst of panic and pain is how can learn to not just count on God, but re-count on Him over and over again.
I love Pastor Josiah at New Hope Leeward. We are always praying for each other as we face the joys and challenges of ministry together. He texted me last week for extra prayer as a number of circumstances were piling up all once and wearing him thin. As I prayed for him I was reminded of this scripture in Isaiah 63:7: "I will recount the steadfast love of the Lord." I told him, "It sounds strange but can you taken a moment to literally re-count His faithfulness." I asked him to journal a list of every single thing God had led him through since becoming a campus pastor last year. Then I asked him to "count it and re-count it. Then count on God again! A win THEN means a win AGAIN!" Pastor Josiah told me he stopped his emails and started writing in his journal. He texted me, "my hand is cramping but my heart is singing. I'm up to 21!" He then added the challenges ahead to the list by faith even before he faced them! He told me yesterday that our faithful God came through in every single situation he had added to the list. Like David, Pastor Josiah strengthened himself in the Lord by re-counting Gods faithfulness.
Lord, I stand in awe of all you have done. You have brought me through so many impossible scenarios and difficult times. Sometimes, I just need to stop and list them all again to remind my mind, flesh, and emotions how faithful you are. A win THEN is a win AGAIN!
