Readings for today: 2 Samuel 24, 1 Chronicles 21-22, Psalms 30
I am blessed to lead a growing church. We are filling up our worship space on Sunday mornings. Our kids programming is bursting at the seems. Our student ministry is growing. Our ten year trends are up significantly. Our people are incredibly generous. We are engaged in all kinds of Kingdom work locally and globally. We also live in a community that is growing. We are getting younger as more families move into our area. We are getting more affluent as people build successful businesses and careers. We are getting more diverse ethnically and culturally. It’s amazing to be part of. But it’s also tempting. It’s tempting to place our hope in numbers. It’s tempting to place our confidence in our growth curve. It’s tempting to assume our trend lines will always be up and to the right. That’s why it’s good for me to remember the sin of David’s census.
David was tempted by Satan to measure his own strength. This is why he called for a census of the military men in his kingdom. He foolishly believed his power depended on the numbers he could call on. This is what happens when we forget the Lord. When we start to become complacent. When we lose sight of all God has done for us and try to preserve our own position and power. David’s kingship is coming apart on him. He’s allowing his anxiety and fears to get the best of him. The civil war with his son. The rebellion of men like Sheba. His rape of Bathsheba and his murder of Uriah. I imagine these things haunted David so he does what many of us do when we give into fear. He looks for comfort. He looks for control. So he counts the number of men under his command with the hope it will help him feel more secure. Tragically, it has the opposite effect. A plague strikes, killing thousands. The lesson is clear. David is not in control. David has no power except that which God grants him. David’s only comfort must come from the Lord.
How do you respond when you feel under pressure? When you feel stress? Anxiety? Fear? Do you look to your own strength or do you look to Christ? Do you trust in your own ability to power through or do you humble yourself before God? Do you turn to temporary things to help you feel in control or do you keep your eyes fixed on what is eternal and unchanging? Times of testing reveal where our hope truly lies. Does it lie with the Lord?
Readings for tomorrow: Psalms 108-109