Tag: seekGod

For David’s Sake

For David’s Sake

by Nikki Rich Writes ♥ 2 Comments

“He committed all the sins his father had done before him; his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his forefather had been. Nevertheless, for David’s sake the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by raising up a son to succeed him and by making Jerusalem strong.”
‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭15:3-4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Many of you may be familiar with the concept and/or reality of a praying grandmother. If not, praying grandmas (or any person who prays intently about you) are those who consistently and passionately plead the blood of Christ over you and your loved ones. Their earnest prayers, over the years, have often saved many of us from various crises and heartaches, whether we realized it or not. What a privilege to be cared for in such a way that even while you and I were far from God, God still kept us for their sake. The realization of that privilege was brought to my attention quite recently while reading about many of the kings in the Old Testament of the Bible. While there were a few good kings here and there, who ruled with justice and reverence for God, the vast majority of them were terrible. They were greedy, self seeking, disregarding, power hungry, and unjust. Despite their disobedience and pride, God would often repeat a phrase that illustrated mercy towards His people. Though it was simple, the phrase meant provision. The phrase meant salvation. The phrase meant favor.
For David’s sake.
David, the giant slayer. David, the psalmist. David, the man after God’s own heart. Great King David. I appreciated and admired the way God honored David so much that even as his descendants acted foolishly, actively deciding not to follow the ways of God, God still continued to bless them and preserve their line for David’s sake. Israel was His people. The line to Jesus needed to be preserved. For David’s sake, God forgave, pardoned, corrected, warned, and waited. How blessed they were by God’s honor. How blessed we are.

Witnessing God’s honor of David sparked not only gratitude but desire. I found myself wanting to be someone God honored in that way. I found myself wanting to save the lives of future generations as well as the people currently connected to me that were lost or had fallen away. For my sake, I wanted God to cover, to protect, and to save. While I felt this desire build, I simultaneously felt inadequacy rise. David, after all, was the anointed one set on pleasing God. David had great faith while mine could be faulty. David had boldness in the face of opposition while I was often willing to list my fears and excuses. David was a different breed, not at all like the person I currently saw myself to be, the person you may see yourself as. Even still, the desire grew. I thought that maybe if I read about David and saw, play by play, how he reacted in situations, I could learn how to strengthen my faith and be more like him. As I studied, thank God, I quickly realized that David and I already had a lot in common.

As much as David is celebrated for being a man after God’s own heart, David sure messed up a lot. He was someone with two sides. He was indeed a man of God. He worshiped God in humility and gratitude. He consulted God before making decisions. He trusted God to fight his battles. He ensured that the Israelites followed God’s law.  Despite those great acts, David also committed adultery. He murdered to try and hide his sin. He responded cowardly when conflict in his family arose. He sometimes let pride stop him from ruling well. It soon became clear that God’s honor of David had very little to do with his “greatness”. God honored him because more than any error he made, David was consistent in seeking the face of God. He readily asked God to clean his heart of sin and injustice. He quickly humbled himself when pride tried to overtake him. He accepted punishment from God, not with disdain but with appreciation. He cared about God’s approval more than anyone else’s. He was after God, whether he was up or down, good or bad. That’s what I pray God honors about me. That’s what I pray God honors about you.

“… and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go and that the Lord may keep his promise to me: ‘If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’”
‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭2:3-4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

As we continue to adult, piecing together our lives in hopes of a better future for ourselves and our families, I pray that we also factor in the weight of God’s endorsement. I pray we seek His favor, not just for ourselves but our circle as well. While financial stability is awesome, salvation holds eternal weight. I ask that you be the person seeking after God. I ask that you begin to value and trust His word even when it proves difficult. I ask that you walk in the brightness of your light. I ask that as God instructs you, you pray for help and boldness to be obedient. This goes beyond living a good life and going to heaven when you die. It’s about the salvation, protection, healing, and restoration of your parents, your children, your coworkers, your neighborhood, and your generation. That’s the model Jesus set. That’s grown up stuff. That’s real adulting. Let’s begin to look around. This world is yearning and groaning for us (Romans 8:19-23). Let’s be the people who change this world.

For your sake, twentysomethings. 💕

Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop

Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop

by Nikki Rich Writes ♥ 4 Comments

Last month I wrote about the importance of submitting your will to God. I wrote about the growth in your confidence once you realize that God is not here to harm you. I wrote my plea for you to give God a chance and allow Him to lead you, in His timing, to all your destiny has to offer. There were a few things I didn’t write, however. These things were principles that I learned this past month, after failing a few tests He gave me. These were things, that now I see, prove crucial to keeping your faith steady and strong during life’s shakiness. Let’s dive in.

Not too long after I wrote my last post, I found myself in a position to pursue some of the things God revealed about my destiny. Full of faith and expectant, I took a leap, believing that God gave me His “ok”. I made a connection here. A friend helped me there. My heart was overjoyed with the thought that I was finally focusing on something I really wanted. I felt like I was on the up and up until suddenly, I wasn’t. Out of nowhere, it seemed, a wave of “no” crashed into me so distinctly that I had to stop, feeling unsure of why or what to do about it. Instantly I looked at God for an explanation but I didn’t receive one. “Did He not give me the go ahead? Why would He do this?” I thought, upset and dejected. I let the disappointment settle on me until it turned into despair. I went from bad to worse, allowing my sadness to isolate me from others, to stifle my creativity, and to keep me in an ugly mood. Doesn’t this sound contrary to what I wrote about last month? God knew I had more learning to do.

“I meditate on Your precepts and consider Your ways. I delight in Your decrees; I will not neglect Your word.” – Psalm 119:15-16

Though in my feelings, I never stopped talking to God. While, admittedly, I went through some days of whining and complaining (I’m not perfect y’all), I did continue to seek Him out for understanding. I wanted to know how I could get a “yes” in my spirit and then suddenly, as my joy grew, get kicked back down with a “no”. Without answering my questions, He brought me back to a notebook I had laying on my table. If you’ve been reading for a while, you would know that I wrote a post about that notebook and how I used it to battle my insecurities. He reminded me of how I used that notebook to grow in my faith and to learn His promises. He also reminded me that I hadn’t written in that notebook in weeks and perhaps my answer might lie there. Sighing, wishing He could just explain Himself to me instead, I grabbed that notebook and my Bible, and went on a hunt for some answers.

Searching for scriptures that addressed disappointment, I found myself in the book of Psalm, reading how David encouraged himself in the Lord. No matter how difficult things got, how much David messed up, or how many struggles David faced, His eyes still focused on God. Though he might complain in the beginning of a chapter, by its end, David would be magnifying the Lord’s name, confident that God loved him and had a plan for his life. As I began to write these various verses down, the light bulb went off. Did I not know about God’s faithfulness before? Did I not know that God promised to bless me?  Was it that I didn’t know these things or was it, perhaps, that I allowed myself to temporarily forget? This revelation made me realize why God brought me back to the notebook in the first place. To avoid even the temptation of thinking God had an ounce of malice towards me, I needed to keep my focus on His word and His promises. If I wasn’t meditating on them daily, reading them, and writing them down, life’s highs and lows would definitely weaken my faith. This was a reminder to focus on Him, not just in theory but in practice, daily, so that I would be assured, no matter the circumstances, of who He said He was and who I was in Him.

“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.” – Hebrews 12:11-12

When I was able to recall the goodness of God and His care, love, and faithfulness in the lives of His children, I was able to humble myself enough to apologize and start the process of wiping away the ugliness I had in my heart.  Digging deeper into what the Bible had to say about God, that wave of “no” soon began to retreat. I realized then that the “no” had less to do with stifling plans and more to do with checking my heart. How could I say that God’s will came before mine but get mad when He exercised said will? How could I pray to be a light yet still operate in darkness? How could I say that I had faith in God yet crumble at opposition? It’s not that God expects perfection, but He does expect me to trust His word and stand firm. He doesn’t want me to be a baby in Christ forever. It’s time that I start eating solids.

“The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do it.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:24

I wrote this to remind and challenge you to make this Jesus journey a forever thing. While we may be motivated and uplifted in one season, there will always be opposition and trouble to threaten our peace in the next. We must constantly check in with God. We must faithfully study His word and seek Him for clarity and guidance. We must recall His attributes and allow them to encourage us always, especially in our low times. God loves us, even when we tend to forget. While it’s normal to have these moments, it’s imperative that we don’t stay there. Let’s level up.

We aren’t babies anymore, twenty somethings ❤️