Mar 8, 2026 – Relinquish
JC – “When you are determined to get your own way, you blot Me out of your consciousness. Instead of single-mindedly pursuing some goal, talk with Me about it…. see it from My perspective. If the goal fits into My plans for you, I will help you reach it. If it is contrary to My will for you, I will gradually change the desire of your heart. Seek Me first….”
Utmost – Chambers adds, “No one is ever united with Jesus Christ until he is willing to relinquish not to sin only, but his whole way of looking at things…. we must let go before we lay hold…. If you are up against the question of relinquishing, go through the crisis, relinquish all, and God will make you fit for all that He requires of you.” Galations 2:20 – “I am crucified with Christ.”
Streams – Cowman, through F. B. Meyer, further explains the blessings of growing ever closer to God and relinquishing ourselves to Him through “…genuine prayer. Often we ask for things that God has not specifically promised. Therefore we are not sure if our petitions are in line with His purpose, until we have persevered for some time in prayer.” 1 Chronicles 17:23-24 shows us that God offers us more than just wondering after our prayers and petitions. There is promise. “Do as you promised…that your name will be great forever.” The devotion continues, “Hardly any stance could be more completely beautiful, strong, or safe than that of putting your finger on a promise of God’s divine Word and then claiming it…. If all requests were this definitive, there would be much more interest in prayer. It is much better to claim a few specific things than to make twenty vague requests.” See also Psalm 119:49, Romans 4:21, and 2 Peter 1:4.
Power – Leaning into 1 John 4:18, Joyce keys in on why many of us hold back and don’t fully trust God or His promises: fear. But, her title today comforts us, “Perfect Love Casts Out Fear.” She explains, “Learning about and receiving the unconditional love of God is what sets us free from fear…. Faith expresses itself in love (see Galations 5:6). How can we put our trust in God if we are not convinced He loves us at all times? Take God at His Word and begin to receive His love for you, [and His promised answers] which will set you free from all fear.”
Prevail #67 – Larson, like many others, tells us about the guilt (and perhaps fear) that David dealt with after he “cut off a piece of the hem of Saul’s robe.” (From 1 Samuel 24:4.) David could’ve killed Saul when Saul (who’d been pursing him) went to relieve himself in a cave not knowing that David and his men were there in the back. David’s men said Saul had been delivered into their hands, which always seems like a logical conclusion to me based on how God had delivered enemies into the hands of His people many times.
Larson points out that “David had enough conviction and restraint not to kill Saul…. But even that gesture ultimately bothered David…. he knew that any effort to grab for himself would be a faithless one.” This story has been explained to me in Bible studies and preached in sermons all of my life, but today is the first time that I’ve questioned the meaning behind David’s guilt. Larson’s “grab for himself” line is what first caused me to pause because I saw David’s action as a battle tactic and not a selfish one (perhaps that’s’ the Colonel’s daughter coming out in me after hearing and reading many of his stories.) Certainly, David’s guilt about perceived wrongdoing was based on his love for and fear of God, but was also due to reverence and respect for God’s anointed. What if it was maybe something different, something similar to the questions I keep asking?
I petition God; I read the Bible; I learn from authors in their devotions and I think I’ve gained understanding and directions for making decisions and going forward. But…then some new twist often causes me to question my intentions. I find myself doubting my choices even if I felt like I’d gotten confirmation from God on them. And then I feel bad for doubting. It’s such a frustrating cycle I get caught in on some issues. I think I’ve taken the reader on that roundabout with me several times in these blogs.
What if doubt was at the heart of David’s actions and feelings? He was human; and, doubt, rooted in depending on our own understanding rather than God’s, does cause us problems. Doubt can cause us to feel guilty. What if he wasn’t wrong to cut off a piece of the garment? What if God did deliver Saul into his hands that day knowing David would honor Him by not killing Saul? What if God perhaps allowed this act to prove to Saul that he’d been spared and perhaps even to offer Saul an opportunity to change courses? I know I’m pushing the limits here of free thinking about the Bible; but why would “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14 and Acts 13:22) feel guilty about sparing a man’s life while other’s encouraged murder? Why didn’t he trust that God had delivered Saul to him that day and that cutting the piece of robe was indeed the proof Saul would need to believe he’d been spared?
Certainly, if David had cowered in the cave until Saul was far away, he would have needed the cloth as proof sometime later. But David did boldly step out of the cave (with faith in God as His protector and provider) in Saul’s presence and made his case (verses 8 – 15). So, maybe his guilt was not about disobeying God (“Do not touch my anointed ones…” Psalm 105:5), but rather it was about not fully trusting Him. Even though he didn’t touch/kill Saul, maybe he felt guilty for taking matters into his own hands and needing that cloth as security.
I am moved by this (and convicted of my own doubts and guilts) especially because just two chapters later (1 Samuel 26:12), David again snuck up on Saul and carefully took something from him rather than killing him. But this time there is no mention of guilt. Is it because he petitioned God about the first incident and felt more confident in his actions in the second? Larson offers these thoughts, “How do you protect against wrong assumptions? You fear God and walk intimately with Him. You fully trust His timing. You wait for Him to establish you. His Spirit withing you will convict you and clarify your steps.” So, perhaps in walking more closely with God between chapter 24 and chapter 26, David had more clarity about why Saul had been delivered into his hands and how to properly act on that without doubt and guilt.
Max – James 4:6 – “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” This verse that Max chose for today seems to shed more light on the subject at hand. Max points out what he learned during a day he spent in a Defensive Driving class. When we share our missteps with others who are sharing their missteps with us, we feel “one another’s pain. Charades and shams [are] unnecessary…. humility [creates] relief.” God uses our stories (and David’s) to help us and others learn to not condemn ourselves (and others) because of our human actions and emotions.
JA – “I ENABLE YOU TO STAND on the heights…. If you aspire to reach the heights – especially the high places of achievement and recognition – be prepared [like David] to shoulder the responsibilities that accompany success. But don’t forget to enjoy [like David] the satisfaction of accomplishing good things with Me, through Me, and for Me.”
