Discovering Who I Am, Endurance for the Journey, Featured
Then David sent messengers to get her.
She came to him, and he slept with her.
Then she went back home.
2 SAMUEL 11:4 (NIV)
“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
Like most of us, David’s greatest challenge wasn’t battles or enemies or the daily struggle to survive. It was dealing with success. He stood on that roof, out of place (he should have been leading his army), out of time (this wasn’t the moment to rest on his laurels), and out of his element (he wasn’t battling an army or a giant, he was doing battle with lust). In his success David let his guard down.
One of the advantages of living with adversity is that we are so dependent upon God, so aware of our need, that we aren’t even tempted to go it alone. Success, rather than adversity, often poses the greatest danger to our soul.
David went from standing tall on his palace roof to lying on his face before God, begging for forgiveness for the mess he had made. His fall from grace is a warning and a reminder that our need for dependence upon God is just as great on the mountaintop as it is in the valley. As the Apostle Paul put it…
So if you think you are standing firm,
be careful that you do not fall!
1 CORINTHIANS 10:12 (NIV)
On the journey with you,
Dave Dravecky