Fiery Trails And Darts



Scripture

Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you.

~I Peter 4:12, NLT

Quote

Where God loves, He afflicts in love and whomever He afflicts in love learns a lesson that will last through eternity.

~Thomas Brooks

David was blessed with extraordinary gifts. Matter of fact, I can find no other person like him in the annals of human history. He was not your typical Jack of all trades and master of none: he mastered many things whereas we commoners have difficulty mastering one. He was the most beloved king in Israel’s history. He was a highly gifted musician, song writer and inventor of musical instruments. He was a military genius. He was a prophet: check out Psalm 22 if you doubt me. He was a fantastic theologian, check out Psalm 51 if you want evidence. He was a renown poet. He wrote the most beloved, most read poem in history, the 23rd Psalm. But as gifted as he was, there were areas where David failed miserably. David was not a good husband or father.

I’m not going to deal with the family issue, we will lay it aside for the time being: what I want to call to your attention is this–in spite of David’s almost super natural gifts–He was prone to discouragement. He faced his share of fiery trials and darts. Paul warned us in Ephesians 6 to hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. I love the movie, OUTLAW KING, based on the history of Robert Bruce who lead Scotland to independence after the death of William Wallace. Roberts treacherous enemies attack during the night, breaking their word of truce. They attack Robert’s entire camp including women, children and medical personnel. They shot fiery arrows over the tree tops into Robert’s encampment. Robert used his shield to catch the fiery arrows. His shield saved both he and his family. The devil is a liar, completely untrustworthy and he attacks when least expected and when we are most vulnerable. He uses fiery arrows or darts. These darts are laced with doubt and fear.

Do not think that David never battled doubt and fear–He battled them constantly. In Psalm 142 he says, “Hear my cry, for I am very low.” In Psalm 56:3, David said, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in You and Your promises.” No one, not even the highly gifted, is immune to temptation, trials and terror. In Psalm 55 David confesses…My enemies shout at me, making loud and wicked threats. They bring trouble on me and angrily hunt me down. My heart pounds in my chest. The terror of death assaults me. Fear and trembling overwhelm me, and I can’t stop shaking. Cheer up, you are not a freak, you are merely human. All of us battle fear and doubt, we just manage if differently. Age and amazing grace are on your side. It will get better!

Three days in a row without mentioning the state of the union: it is a miracle. Hope you have a great day and weekend. No word from Spencer this morning so I assume Tracy had another good day. She is getting to visit with her friends and I praise the LORD for this answer to prayer.

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