David is a very good example for us. He was never idle or had nothing to do. He had to fight battles, and later on he had to take care of many things for his nation. When he was young, he was a shepherd. He had more time and was able to lay a good foundation. But after he defeated Goliath, he was persecuted and pursued by King Saul. During this period of time, he faced many troubles. Yet, it was good for him, as when he was hiding in caves, he had more time in solitude. He even wrote some psalms in caves. All in all, his life was not smooth; he had many difficulties and had to take care of many things. But what did he say? Psalm 25:15 says, “My eyes are ever toward the Lord…” This was David. Had he not seen the Lord, how could he have faced so many challenges, temptations and difficulties? Impossible!
Likewise, without the Lord, where do we find strength to face all the difficulties in our life? There are so many things that can disturb us. The devil always disturbs you through many things. We are weak. Even the most trivial or the unnecessary things can disturb us and affect our mood. There is no other way out but to rely on the Lord. If we don’t rely on the Lord, even the most minor things will affect us. It’s so precious that we have the Lord, or else we can’t survive. We need to be humble and realize that we really need Him so much.
Psalms 26:3 says, “For Your steadfast love is before my eyes.” David’s eyes always beheld the Lord. Psalms 16:8 reads, “I have set the Lord always before me.” This is how David lived his life. The steadfast love of the Lord was before his eyes always. Is the Lord’s love always before your eyes? The two diamond hymns (Who Affects the Father the Most & Love Like a Rainbow), are there to help you to always set the Lord and Abba’s love before you.
Why did the Israelites perish? It’s because they forgot about God’s grace. You can refer to Jeremiah chapter 2 and 3 and Psalms 78, where they said the Israelites forgot such great wonders of God. It’s not that they lost their memories, which is forgivable if that’s the case. How could they forget such great miracles like crossing the Red Sea? They forgot the wonders that God had done. On the contrary, David was very different. He reminded himself, “My soul, forget not all His benefits.” (Ps. 103:2) You should not forget God’s grace either. God gives us memory so that we can recall our past experiences even after many years. Recalling those experiences are helpful to us. If you don’t think about them, they won’t affect you.
The Bible tells us to forget what lies behind but it doesn’t mean we should also forget about all His grace! The past experiences are to help you today, but don’t let the past harm you; we should not think of the things of the past if they cannot benefit us. On the other hand, don’t forget His grace. Let your heart be touched by grace and then you will love God. Also, you will understand His grace more and more. His love is always before you. Thus, you let Him and His love influence you, which are the greatest realities.