Continues from last week...
God Cave:
God put people in a cave.. Yes, you are reading right that God can have something to do with a Christian, washed in the blood of Jesus to be in a cave. When reading to the previous chapters before chapter 22, it was God who sent Samuel to anoint David to be a replacement to the renegade king Saul. Some God let them be thrown into a den of lions (Daniel 6), another one banished to a rocky island of Patmos (Revelations 1) and others lost everything (Job).
A child of God must pray and be discerning enough to understand what is the nature of his or her cave. If it is purely RAP- rulers,authorities, principalities, behind the situation, he/she has to exercise his/her authority over them( please read brother Timothy's article on the authority of the believer in his blog light2mypath.blogspot.com).
Since the cave experience is not comfortable in most cases, a desire for an instant change is naturally expected and understandably so. However, when God allows His children to be in a cave, the child of God has to keep in mind three important truths.First, God loves His children so much that it is only when it is for the benefit of His child (specifically) or of the Bride of Christ-the Church as whole (generally/the big picture) that He allows the cave experience (Romans 8:28, Jeremiah 29:11). Secondly, God is pure and holy and so are His motives. He can never do bad, harm us or reject His children. As a parent i know i will never harm,hurt, think evil over my children or let anything hurt them. Now, if i, in a fallen state, can not do these things, how much more is God?!! Thirdly, He is there present in everything we are going through even if our emotions, feelings and mind suggests the contrary.
Two factors which moves God to allow or even orchestrate for His child to go through the cave experience are:
1. Character building- to become more like Jesus.
2. Preparation - for a specific mission God has for someone( Moses in the wilderness for 40 years in order to free the Israelite from slavery,
-a major event/calamity ( Joseph in order to counter famine- Gen 37-50)
It is worthy to go back to the life of David, a man with the promise of ascension to the throne from God Himself. Let us observe few things . Why did God allow David to go through the cave experience?
1. David formed a group of people who remained royal to him for the rest of his life. His relationships were filtered( not everyone in our life is important for us to fulfill the call that God has for us. Many are times that we maintain these harmful relationships even without our knowledge because of our natural limitations-'cause we don't see what is in the hearts of men or simply ignorance or stubbornness. In the cave we get to know people who are real royal or they have other agendas and are self seeking. Therefore God does it for us, removing those people out of our life. You don't need parasites, doubters and foes whenever possible) Also, David's older brothers finally accepted his leadership.
2. David was humbled enough in his heart that he was ready to accept the outcast, and outlaws people who were very instrumental in his quest for kingship. David answers were disguised in people that he never expected. (Are we missing God's answers to our prayer? Is it disguised in people we esteem not, the lowly, places we despise? What about the uneducated preacher? Denomination not our own? People of the other race,color, class, religion)
Can we accept the people, things or situations that though they seem insignificant to us, but accept them because that is what pleases God to use? Are we still proud? Are some tasks beneath us? Do we love everyone the way God does? Do we accept all people? Are tribes, races, nationalities, political affiliations, religions, careers the bases on how we treat others? Remember the world treat people on such factors but believers shouldn't. We are not of the world! I made up my mind here in America never again to treat people as the world does, i train my self to see people in God eyes, His One Creation. There is no superior group of people. Never! In every group you find all kinds of people; gifted, limited,rich, poor,goofy and all are short of God's requirements thus is a desperate need of a Savior(Jesus , the Christ). It just pleased God to create people in diversity. Nothing more nothing less.
I grew up hating the Germans and the white people simply because of the history of my country, also were indoctrinated to hate the Westerners even the Jews(it is funny because my mother father was 100% Jewish). Then i had a great professor while in attending Bible school who was from Germany. I liked everything about him but the major problem was his nationality. I resented him for no reason. I thank God, He put me through a cave experience in such a way all my prejudices were off my shoulders, my eyes were opened and was able to learn to love and accept all people.
David accepted learned to love people God's way in the cave. We all need the cave!
3.He had an opportunity to polish his leadership skills by being a leader of an army of 600 people before God put him as a steward of the whole nation of Israel therefore avoiding catastrophic mistakes in the future.
4.Please feel free to add your own,i am sure the above are just few of many benefits...
( to be continued next week)
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