“Hear ye, Hear ye! Your King is on the Floor!” (3)

September 2, 2013 by Naphtali 2 Comments

The Art of Discernment

 

“Discernment is the art of listening to Him who does not speak audibly and perceiving Him who is otherwise invisible.”

Francis Frangipane

 

Poor King David.   The youngest brother who was mocked and teased by his older ones. The lowly sheep herder who killed a bear and eventually the Philistine giant.

He became the King of Israel only to be hunted down by Saul.  But as King he blew it. Should we feel sorry for him?

David can’t blame others for his blunders.

We/ I have no right to judge David.  So let’s learn from his mistakes.

His writing in Psalms are captivating. Immersing his soul into the depths of his pain resulted in “repentant poetry.”  Relentlessly he de-thrones himself before the God who placed him there.

Guilt does that to a person and even a King although guilt is or can be sin it can also be a precursor to the “great baggage unload.”

Lying on a concrete floor allowed him to shed his sin, forgive himself and pick up where he left off in the hills with God.

Hours, days, weeks, years alone can be lonely unless you learn to spend that time with God.

As the young boy who cared for sheep, David began a journey of quiet and understanding of his Lord. Very likely he learned how to hear God’s voice while the sheep grazed or slept.

During those years David gained wisdom and knowledge from God he might not have otherwise. God taught him how to pause, listen and hear his voice to put a halt to the enemy’s attacks

Discernment from God is renouncing our own opinions and responses to focus on waiting and hearing God’s voice.

Once David became King the slow life of a sheep herder left.  Life became busy as he took the responsibilities of running the kingdom.  Sound familiar?

Our personal kingdoms today thrive on busyness. If you aren’t physically doing something, anything not only are you lazy but worthless in accomplishment.  David may have wrapped himself around so much he lost contact with the most important voice in his life.

It is impossible to hear God in the hotbed of our demanding lifestyles.

Our society is running on empty leaving the average American exhausted, irritable and in many cases angry. There is no time for peace and quiet, much less God.

However, the result is the cracks in the windows of our souls; a nation charred with hate and lawlessness and a government completely out of control.

As King, David remembered his classroom in the fields of sheep.  His efforts of small beginnings returned as he lay on the floor of his fortress.

Some may view that as crazy; David viewed it as time well spent.

He knew his God would not bore a hole through the wall of hectic noise; no, God doesn’t yell.

God is a non-invader of racket and clamor.

He only works in the stillness of time. He waits.

The voice of God arrives in different forms.

He is a Master of Words of Knowledge, revelations, dreams and visions. The scriptures jump off pages he gives us to read.  He allows us to see with our hearts his promises and guides us with directions from his Holy Spirit.

God has been known to speak through donkeys and burning bushes. He sends messages through Angels and Prophets. And he thrives on showing up himself on roads like Damascus.

We have become dull and boring due to our irrelevance of God.

He is far from ordinary and enjoys giving us a good jolt of Holy Spirit excitement.

I believe we need a load of his shocking discernment.

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