Water for the King

Read: Psalm 37:1-7

Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

                                                                                                                         Psalm 37:4 

     King David was a mighty leader, and mighty leaders lead mighty men. David had six hundred of them when he was on the move, trying to escape from Saul. These men remained fiercely loyal to David throughout their lives. One day, after David had become king, he sat in the Cave of Adullam in preparation for war against the Philistines. Because it was harvest time, and hot, David’s mind drifted back to the well in Bethlehem. The sweetness of that water danced around on his taste buds, and he could picture himself drawing deeply of its goodness. The only problem between David and that well was the Philistines. They had advanced so far into the city that David knew he could never drink from the well without being spotted and captured, or perhaps even killed. As David daydreamed, his mind forced his lips to utter under his breath, “Boy, if I could only have a drink from the well in Bethlehem – .” Knowing the impossibility, the thought drifted from his mind; but it stuck like a dart in the minds of three of his mighty men who were near enough to hear their king’s yearning. They secretly made a plan to fulfill his desire. They bravely risked their lives, broke through the camp of the Philistines, and returned with a flask of water so sweet that King David could not even bring himself to drink it.

     What strikes me about this story from 2 Samuel 23 is that these men were close enough to the king to hear him speak his faintest wish, and they were close enough to know his desires. Can we say that about our King? Often, young men are too deafened by the sound of the world’s music or movies to hear what their King is telling them to do. They cannot hear His desires for their lives because they have moved too far away from Him. They are so wrapped up in their own desires that they have lost interest in the desires of their King. That is no way to find true fulfillment in life. David’s mighty men, though they risked everything, were tremendously satisfied in fulfilling their king’s desire; and David was so moved by what they had done for him that he poured the water out as a sacrifice to God.

     David says in Psalm 34 that when we delight ourselves in the Lord, or seek out happiness in the things of God, then He will give us the desires of our hearts. It is not that He will give us everything we desire, but that He will change our desires to fit with what He knows is best for our lives. When our focus is on Him, then it is hard to be distracted by the world. Make the step toward your King so that you may hear just what His desires are for you.

Quote of the day: “Do not ask God to guide your footsteps if you are not willing to move your feet.”