April 17 Edify Devotional

Today’s Devotional Theme      Three Answers   Daily Scripture 1 Samuel 23:10-11 “Then David said, ‘O lord God of Israel, Your servant has certainly heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah to destroy the city for my sake. Will the men of Keilah deliver me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as Your servant has heard? O Lord God of Israel, I pray, tell Your servant.’ And the Lord said, ‘He will come down.’” Encouragement  David is in trouble – deep trouble. The men of the Philistine village of Keilah are allied with Saul, who enlisted them to help him seek out and kill David. David knows he cannot save himself from the madman King Saul – only God can save him. So, in his distress, David does the right thing: He prays. He needs an immediate answer from God. “Are these allies of Saul going to tell the king where I am?” He gets the answer he needs – and dreads. “Yes. They’ll tell Saul, and he’ll come down and kill you.” Not the answer he wants, but that’s what David needs to know. Now he knows he has to fade into the hills near Qumran, northwest of the Dead Sea (1 Samuel 23:13). When Saul learns David has escaped, he calls off the expedition to seek David out. David escapes once more – but not for the last time (see the rest of 1 Samuel 23). Apply God’s Word “Yes,” “Not right now,” and “No.” Those in a nutshell are the three answers we can expect from God when we pray. David prayed an urgent prayer. He needed an answer right then – and he got it, “Yes.” When we pray according to God’s will, say for a desperate situation we or someone we know is in, we can usually expect an immediate answer. That answer may be, “not just yet.” God knows better than we do our circumstances and the consequences an immediate “yes” will bring. If the potential answer is yes but not until a more favorable time, then “not right now” may be the response God delivers. But sometimes the answer is either “no” or no answer at all. The latter answer – no answer – usually means were praying for the wrong reason. James shines light on why God may not respond to our prayer. James 4:3 tells us that if we ask God for something for selfish reasons, we cannot expect God to give us what we’re asking for. Come into His Presence Lord God, Who answers our prayers when we pray for what we really need or especially for what others need, we know You will respond. Help us to accept that it won’t necessarily be answer we want, but it will be what we require – or a roadmap for how to get what we or others require. In Jesus’ name, amen. Mark Bacon Teacher & Mentor Email Mark

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