The Abundant Life: Riches money can’t buy…
The abundant life knows how to move on.
We all have times of sadness and mourning. The Bible says there is a time for everything. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-11) There will be times when we grieve. If a loved one dies, we miss their companionship and love. If we are let go from a job, we feel disoriented. When life doesn’t work out like we planned, we might lament unfulfilled dreams.
Life is tricky. However, life is temporary. Not every day is sunny. Nor is every day rainy. The difficult part is navigating the rain until the sun shines again. It’s during those times we need to turn to God who has proven to be faithful and true. There is nothing wrong with taking some time to weep, lament, cry out, and even feel a little sorry for ourselves, but then we reach a point where we need to move on.
David did this so often in the Psalms. In many Psalms, he would transparently voice his concerns, share his frustrations, and bare his soul before God. Then he would conclude by stating how great God is, remembering how He never let Him down, and realizing God would always be with Him no matter what he was going through. He had learned to trust God.
David was not a perfect man, but He did trust God. When the prophet Nathan told David he had sinned by having a relationship with Bathsheba and having her husband killed, David repented and was forgiven. (2 Samuel 12:13) By this time, Bathsheba had his baby. However, Nathan told David the child would not live. David was heart-broken. He pleaded with God to spare the child’s life. He wept, fasted, and lay all night on the ground. (2 Samuel 13:14-21)
When the servants told David the child was dead, he arose, cleaned up, changed his clothes, ate, and went to the house of the Lord to worship God. (2 Samuel 13:15-23) He moved on. When the servants were curious about his actions, he basically said, “When the child was alive I fasted and wept because God might have let the child live. But God has made His decision. My actions will not bring the child back.” Then he went in to comfort Bathsheba. Nine months later they had a baby named Solomon.
David trusted God. God wants to give us, His beloved children, good gifts. (Matthew 7:7-11) If God doesn’t give us what we want, we must trust that God has reasons for His decisions, even if we don’t understand what they are. With God’s help, we can move on.
Those living the abundant life know that weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in morning. So they move on to whatever our great, loving God has waiting for them. (Psalms 30:5)
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“…I have come that they may have life and that they
may have it more abundantly.” ~John 10:10 (KJV)
