February 11, 2025

Passage Read: 2 Samuel 10-13
Meditation Verse: 10:12

Thought

Joab's job was to lead the army in battle, wherever the king desired. And because David honored the Lord so greatly, the Lord was pleased to bless the army in all they went to do. David enjoyed God's favor and victory everywhere he went. Yet there was no standing promise or prophecy that Joab would succeed against the Ammonites. So the simple truth was that they would need to fight bravely and trust the result to God. That's how it is with all things, unless God has given a specific promise or prophecy: We do our best and trust that the Lord will do what is right in His eyes. If He grants success, we have cause to praise and thank Him. If failure, we need to examine ourselves to see why the Lord has not granted us favor.

Application

I have the Scriptures, through which I can come to know and understand the heart of God, what He desires and what His priorities are. I know His commands and instructions and need to do my best to fulfill them. He has provided me with work to do, so I know what my everyday responsibilities are. I have a good idea what I need to be doing each day, but I have no promise from God that everything I do will be equally blessed. All I can do is my best and trust that the Lord will do what seems best to Him. I can also pray for favor and blessing, but ultimately, the Lord will do what He chooses. Whether He grants blessing or failure, He is good and right, and I need to honor Him. If He grants failure, I need to take the extra step to examine myself and see if there's anything between us that I need to make right. If not, then it must be that the task was not God's desire.