Then he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring me the ephod!” So Abiathar brought it. Then David asked the Lord, “Should I chase after this band of raiders? Will I catch them?”
And the Lord told him, “Yes, go after them. You will surely recover everything that was taken from you!” 1 Sam 30: 7-8
Over the past few days, there has been one word consistently impressed on my heart – Restoration. I keep hearing the Lord say, I will restore. I see it, perceive it, and believe it. It is not just a word for me but for you also. You are not reading this by chance, you are here because God is speaking the same to you in this season. He will restore to you all you have lost.
As we rejoice in anticipation and expectation of restoration in this season, we must have our hearts positioned properly so we do not miss out on this season of restoration.
In our text above, David goes to inquire of God if he should chase after the enemies that captured His family and the families of his men. Think about this for a minute, David was anointed of God, he has been walking in obedience to God, he refused to kill Saul because he honored and feared God. he’s been a man of integrity and all that good stuff. Despite all this good record, David’s enemies were still able to attack and capture his family and that of his men.
As Christians, it is easy to subconsciously assume or believe that because I am a child of God, I would be shielded from certain painful experiences in life. When we have this belief system, it is easy to get angry at God in the face of an unpleasant situation. I’ve been there, I’ve questioned. It took me a while to learn what David knew. David never questioned God’s love or commitment to him despite his loss, he knew that with God, he would always end up victorious despite the circumstance. Because of his belief, he found a way to encourage himself and go back to God.
David goes to God with very specific questions; should I pursue? Will I overtake? Will I recover all? For David to have asked these questions, it showed that deep on the inside he believed that with God in his side, he would be able to pursue, overtake and recover all. He had that much faith in God. He believed that if God was on board, it was a done deal.
Finally, we see David waiting for a response from God before making a move. What a posture, what a heart. Indeed, Jehovah was Lord over David. David was surrendered to God, and even in a difficult situation he did not respond according to how he felt, he did not respond to the threat of death from his men, he choose to respond based on God’s word.
It was David’s response to the situation that permitted God’s word and power to bring about restoration.
– He chose to trust God – He went back to him in prayer
– He still believed – He asked God if he would recover all because he believed with God he could
– He waited and responded based on God’s word, not his thoughts or feelings. – He did not pursue until God said he could
His actions came from a heart posture of trust, belief, and submission. David recovered all. If we take on the same posture of heart, we would be restored.
Responding like David is easier said than done. It requires a lot of strength and courage. It takes you allowing death so that the life of God would find expression in that situation. I pray that God grants us the grace to press past any pain, hurt, anger that has resulted from any losses. I pray for the grace to trust again, believe again, and submit to His word again. I pray that in this season we would experience God’s restoration in all areas of our lives.
God bless you! You shall recover all
