Luke 21:19
(19) In your patience possess ye your souls.
1 Chronicles 21:1
(1) And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.
If we are not careful to keep in our spirit that God is in control of every step of our lives, (even in Tribulation) then we can let the devil “provoke” us, as he did to David, to number Israel. This really spoke to my heart to never ever forget that God is always in control of every detail of life. The fact is that most of His Creation is in blindness to this fact. That is why Paul spoke this:
Titus 3:1-5
(1) Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work,
(2) To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.
(3) For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.
(4) But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
(5) Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Part of the renewing of the Holy Ghost must be a realization and fresh awakening of the fact that our lives are “hid in Christ”, the realization that God is in control even if we don’t see it. The washing is to clean us of walking contrary to God, the renewing is the vision and awareness of being completely in His control. (Even before we surrendered to His Will) It is hard to be moved to tears by the goodness of God in our lives, since we committed to Him and even before we did!!!! I think that is so important to live as an example of this pattern, we should be moved to compassion to do good to others, even if we don’t expect an immediate response: JUST TO BE AN EXAMPLE OF OUR MASTER!!! Because we can look back and see Him giving to us BEFORE we ever gave to Him. Our walk and giving of our lives to His Will is reinforced by these examples, so will others do if we use the same pattern to them. If they make the wrong choice that is between them and God! Notice David’s action after Judgment was pronounced:
1 Chronicles 21:11-13
(11) So Gad came to David, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Choose thee
(12) Either three years' famine; or three months to be destroyed before thy foes, while that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee; or else three days the sword of the LORD, even the pestilence, in the land, and the angel of the LORD destroying throughout all the coasts of Israel. Now therefore advise thyself what word I shall bring again to him that sent me.
(13) And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let me fall now into the hand of the LORD; for very great are his mercies: but let me not fall into the hand of man.
What a revelation David had of God’s mercy! Certainly it was his experiences as a boy, running from Saul, that made him know the Master this way! This is what a backslider needs to come to the Revelation when he has walked away from God, the hand of man is going to wear them out! The hand of the LORD HAS VERY GREAT MERCIES! David not only believed it, but his actions proved HOW MUCH he believed it:
1 Chronicles 21:22
(22) Then David said to Ornan, Grant me the place of this threshingfloor, that I may build an altar therein unto the LORD: thou shalt grant it me for the full price: that the plague may be stayed from the people.
David was MOVED to REPENTANCE. I can’t say that I see that being out of fear of God, I see it as David believing in His MERCY! That is the most powerful motivator of serving God, people that only serve out of fear can only give so much, but those that are MOVED by His MERCY, have an unlimited amount of resources.
1 Chronicles 21:27
(27) And the LORD commanded the angel; and he put up his sword again into the sheath thereof.
