Life Value

Life is precious and somewhat fragile. I sometimes think about how close I’ve come to loosing my life and there are few instances that come to mind. I also think about a couple of my children who have been really close from cancer to a tree fall. James calls life a vapor – here today and gone tomorrow. The older I get the more I reflect on my life and how I spend my most valuable resource – time. I’m learning more and more just how important it is to live out my life in the Presence of God. He alone knows the numbers of my days and He alone can really make them count.

As I was reading the scripture this am about when David spares Sauls life a second time, there is the Presence of God all over this event. As Saul and 3000 of his best men pursue David and his group of maybe 600 men, they camp in the desert. David sends scouts to make sure of where Saul is. He then goes personally to see where he is. He comes upon them (I think at night.) and everyone is sleeping so David goes and takes Sauls spear and water jug that are near his head. The scripture says: “No one saw or knew about it, nor did anyone wake up. They were all sleeping, because the Lord had put them into a deep sleep.” (1 Samuel 26:12b) So then David goes a safe distance away and confronts Saul. He makes it clear once again that he had been given the opportunity to take Saul’s life and didn’t. Check this out…

21 Then Saul said, ‘I have sinned. Come back, David my son. Because you considered my life precious today, I will not try to harm you again. Surely I have acted like a fool and have been terribly wrong.’

22 ‘Here is the king’s spear,’ David answered. ‘Let one of your young men come over and get it. 23 The Lord rewards everyone for their righteousness and faithfulness. The Lord gave you into my hands today, but I would not lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed. 24 As surely as I valued your life today, so may the Lord value my life and deliver me from all trouble.’

25 Then Saul said to David, ‘May you be blessed, David my son; you will do great things and surely triumph.’

So David went on his way, and Saul returned home. (1 Samuel 26:21-25 NIV)

I’ve never taken the life of another human. I do value life and I realize just how fragile it can be. Saul seems to be on an empty pursuit because God had left him. He seems lost on many levels. The Presence of God was all over David and the Lord’s provision and protection was on his life. David was determined to push back against Saul but had no intentions of killing the Lord’s anointed. I’m sure David had to constantly explain to his men why he didn’t kill Saul twice. David was content to follow God’s plan for his life rather than take matters into his own hands. I think David had a healthy view of life.

I’m trying hard to make my days count rather than just count my days. I’ve noticed that some don’t value their life by the way they live and the choices that they make. Some folks are content with a miserable existence and others are constantly changing and pursuing the next big thing. I believe a balanced life is one where God is in charge. He leads me. He directs me. I am not always in balance, but I’m certainly pursuing that every single day. At the end of my life, I want to have walked where the Lord led me. I want to have said what He told me to say. I want to have done what He said to do. I want to have the Presence of God all over my life today and every day I live.

Pressing On!

Dwayne