Waiting for David
by Abbie
There’s a certain temptation I’ve been facing lately; the temptation to try to “help” God along. And of course by “help” I mean, “completely wreck everything by trying to take charge of what I don’t understand, specifically: my future”.
You probably know what I’m talking about. (At least…I hope you do. Or else I’m going out on a really lonely ledge here.) Sometimes, when we look at our lives, we see not the many lush, rolling hills of blessing…but the grass on the “other side” that looks so much greener. And we think, God, why am I stuck on this side of the fence?
We, ahem–I–start to believe that if I could just make a move regarding what I want…remind God that I’m still here waiting, and that I think I have a good idea of what I’d like my future to look like…then He would say, “Oh, of course, my brilliant child! Why didn’t I think of that?”
Ludicrous, right?
That’s really what we’re doing when we want to go charging ahead recklessly and have our own way. We’re confidently informing our Creator that His plan just isn’t cutting it – we’re taking matters into our own hands. The children of Israel did it when they decided they wanted their own king. They wanted to be like everyone else, with a “real” king. God wasn’t enough–they wanted “a man in their lives”, if you will.
So often, that’s what we’re tempted to do, when many times, God just calls us to wait.
Now then, stand still and see what great thing the Lord is about to do before your eyes!
1 Samuel 12:16
Every fiber of my being rebels at the thought of standing still and waiting for God to bring about His will. What if I have to wait for a really long time? What if I have to stand still so long I keel over?!
A line from Elisabeth Elliot’s journal comes to mind:
How long, Lord, must I wait?
Never mind child, trust Me.
The truth is, we’re always going to be waiting for something. There will always be times when the grass looks greener on the other side, and we can’t understand why God won’t let us cross the fence and enjoy the beauty and splendor of that which we can only see from a distance.
But one thing I’ve learned is this: when we ignore God’s plan and follow our own, disaster and heartache are the results. God’s plan will always be for our ultimate good, but more importantly, for His ultimate glory.
My pastor was teaching on a topic that (ironically enough) seemed to go hand-in-hand with the temptation I was struggling with. The teaching was on I Samuel, and one thing my pastor said stuck with me. He said, “Don’t settle for 2nd or 3rd or even 4th best, like the Israelites did. Instead, wait on the Lord! He will do great things, if we are patient.”
Cool, I thought, scribbling the words of wisdom down on my folded-in-half songsheet.
Then, on my way to a cross reference in Proverbs, as I flipped through the book of I Samuel, my fingers stopped at chapter 25. I had caught sight of the name Abigail. I’ve always loved my name, in no small part because of this Old Testament matriarch of strength and character. I hadn’t read her story in a while, and I couldn’t help stopping to revisit it again.
A certain man in Maon, who had property there at Carmel, was very wealthy…
…Promising…
He had a thousand goats and three thousand sheep, which he was shearing in Carmel. His name was Nabal and his wife’s name was Abigail…
…I’m starting to tingle with anticipation here; my favorite part is coming up!
…she was an intelligent and beautiful woman.
BAM! How cool is that? I was named after an intelligent and beautiful woman! What an inspiration!
Unfortunately, her life is majorly in the doldrums.
…but her husband, a Calebite, was surly and mean in his dealings.
Suddenly, as my eyes moved over these words just as they have probably 20 times before, the equivalent of a photographer’s flashbulb went off in my head.
The temptation to take matters into our own hands is one that stretches across generations. It seems Abigail may have experienced, may have fallen prey to the temptation, and ended up settling.
Settling for less than God’s wonderful plan for her life.
Settling for a mean and surly man, who no doubt treated her as nothing more than a housekeeper and child-bearer.
Perhaps Abigail was simply the victim of an unhappily arranged marriage. That is very possibly the case. Whatever the situation, she was soon to be swooped out of her unhappy life by a king! Imagine!
If only she had been able to wait. If only she hadn’t settled.
If only she had reserved her heart completely for the man who was coming. A wild and passionate man, but good. A man after God’s own heart! In their own ways, both the nation of Israel and Abigail failed to wait for David.
As I said, I’ve read Abigail’s story before, many times, aspiring to be like my namesake. But this time, I really took her tragic testimony to heart. It was a hard lesson learned, and we’re not told how many years she spent with her cruel and boorish husband before David came riding valiantly to her rescue. I don’t know what kind of scars she bore, what kind of regrets she carried with her forever.
What I do know…and what I scribbled messily in the cramped margin of my Bible…is this:
“I want to wait for David instead of settling for Nabal.”
How long, Lord, must I wait?
Never mind child, trust me.
Abbie is 18, lives in the country with her weird and wonderful family, and tries to balance work, family, and her hobbies, while still feeding her voracious appetite for writing. As she grows toward God, she writes about the strange, hilarious and wonderful journey.
I regret not being strong in my mind when it came to men. Although I’m not married, I wish I had waited for David from the start instead of realising it now. But I guess later better than never. It’s a great post! Thank you Abbie : )
Thank you so much for the Waiting for David articles!! I’m 15 and though I know it’s a ways off, I’ve been thinking about the future A LOT lately… mostly what I’m going to do after highschool (furthering my education? college? staying home?)… trying to “figure it out” I guess. I’m the kind of person who wants everything all organized, planned out and ready. I really want to follow God’s plan for my life, and I know His plan is so much better than anything I could think up… but so often I feel like I NEED TO KNOW NOW. These articles really spoke to me! Telling me to wait. Slow down. It was a good reminder to let God do the planning! Thank you so much Abbie!!
This is so encouraging! Women of Promise is focusing on relationships at our next meeting and these two entries were full of thoughts to ponder while planning our activities. Thank you!
May the Lord bless you!
This was a awesome write 🙂 I just did morning devos on Abigail a few days ago and I agree with the above comments that as women, sometimes we tend to rush things. I think even more so if we are not in a great situation in our home lives some of us with maybe one or both parents being non-believers want so badly to be under a spiritual guidence to fill whats lacking at home.But God is more than able to fill our every void, He is more than enough, but if its His will for us to be wives and helpmeets, we musn`t settle for the Worlds best which often times is a few bad years of marriage, a few divorces, a few kids from broken homes and a emptiness in our hearts maybe even a feeling of uselessness or inadequecy. But if we wait for Gods best, which He will bring in His own perfect timing, we will experience such a love, such commitment , such loyalty, that when the storms of life and bad times come, our future spouses and ourselves will get through it by the grace of God, and come out of it closer knit and more united than ever 🙂 This is important for first generations Christians, and Fiftieth generation Christians…:) I am new to the site but I am loving it already 🙂 God bless 🙂
” Favor is Deceitful, and Beauty is vain: but a woman who feareth the Lord, she shall be praised” Proverbs 31:30
Thank you for such a refreshing piece. I think as women we want to rush certain things in hopes of having it all as if the grass is greener on the other side. It is not always that way. I believe God wants us to wait individually for his own reasons for the ”David” to come in our lives. Then that way, we can be spared from many headaches from getting involved with a ”Bozo.” Great piece, once again!!!
Awesome, Abbie. I was trying to figure out where the ‘Waiting for David’ title came from … great post.
There was a time in my life when God clearly said to me, “Tasha, do you want to create another Ishmael?”
In other words… “Are you going to try and do it your way and create warring nations? Or just do it my way the first time around?”
How convicting! We all face this desire to “help” God… The question is just at which point we’re going to surrender. Before we make a mess, or after?
Natasha (Women of Promise)
Ha – someone was just telling me about this post, and I got on to read it, and it was by YOU! Excellent insights. This is a strong theme, Abbie.
Abbie dear, thanks so much for this wonderful, inspiring post! Such beautiful, rich, deep thoughts. You continue to inspire me.
P.S. When I saw this post in my RSS reader today, I thought, “That’s MY Abbie!” 😉 well, you’re not mine, but, I already “know” you.
Abbie, I really enjoyed this and was compelled to check out your blog. I’ve added you to my Google reader.
Thank you for writing this piece. I am going through this now!!! At almost 24 yrs old just finishing college , there are several things I am waiting for. I have waited a long time to have my first car and many other things which have included meeting a certain, special fellow. I haven’t received these things yet, but know they will come in great timing(if only waiting were easier done than said). Waiting can feel great and sometimes like a curse!!! What is a girl to do!!! I am chuckling here just thinking about my own periods in my waiting room of life. Yet, God is my comfort.
A joy to read and just what I needed to hear. Thank you, Abbie!
The other day I woke up in a “panic” at the thought of being 25 in just a few short months and how the future is completely ‘unclear’ to me.
and then the reminder from my Heavenly Father came, ever so quietly; “TRUST ME”. Your Future is in MY (capable!) Hands.
Follow Me and I will Bless You.
Abbie, this was such a joy to read! Thank you for sharing!
~Joanna
What a lovely post, Abbie. And so appropriate for the current season I’m in. Regarding my job, my relationship and myriad of other things, it is SO very tempting to give God a nudge in the “right direction” — which is most likely opposite to the direction He’s leading me in. Thank you for this timely reminder. I look forward to reading part two!