God's part and ours

If you don’t run for your life tonight, tomorrow you’ll be killed (1 Samuel 19:11) 

In our Monday collective worship at Holy Trinity School, we are working through the story of David. This past week, we came to the part of David’s story told in 1 Samuel chapter 19.
 
It’s an exciting story, full of amusing details to entertain primary school children. The jealous and murderous King Saul is out to kill David, and David has to run for his life several times in one chapter.
 
At one point Saul’s son, Jonathan, who is David’s friend, helps David go into hiding. He warns David that Saul is out to get him, and then goes to speak to his father on David’s behalf.
 
Later in the story, Saul tries to pin David to the wall with a spear while David is playing music. But David realises the danger and runs for his life, leaving Saul to drive his spear into the wall instead.
 
Saul sends men to watch David’s house for a chance to capture him. But David’s wife, Michal, helps David escape through the window. She then dresses up an idol in his bed, with goat hair as a wig, and tries to persuade Saul’s men that David is ill. By the time they realise the ruse, David is long gone.
 
Finally, David hides with the prophet Samuel. Saul sends men to kill David, but as soon as they come to where Samuel is, they start prophesying. Saul sends more and more men to do the task, but every battalion turns to prophecy. Finally Saul goes himself, only for God to overcome him, setting him to prophesy too and stripping him naked into the bargain.
 
It’s a terrific story, but what is it supposed to mean for us today?
 
You might ask yourself: who helped David in this story? Of course, God helped him - all the way through the story, but especially as God turned the hearts and minds of murderous men to prophecy instead of pain.
 
But there are others who helped David as well. Others helped him, from Jonathan his friend to Michal his wife. David also helped as well, noting the murderous intent of the king and getting out of the way of his spear.
 
Lowering yourself through a window might not seem the most holy and godly action. But David knew that God had anointed him as king, God wanted to work through him, so he did what he could to stay safe from Saul and trusted God to do the rest.
 
This surprising passage from 1 Samuel can help us avoid two possible errors. One error is to think that everything depends on us and our hard work. The other error is to sit back and think that God will do everything and not involve us in any way. The reality the Bible teaches is that God works and call us to play our part too. God works miracles like causing Saul to prophesy, and God works through ordinary thought and common sense, like escaping out a window or dodging an incoming spear.
 
God works, and God asks us to play our part as well. Let’s ask God to help in any and every situation, and let’s also ask God to show us what we can do to cooperate with his plans and play our part in his work.
 
Photo by Matthias Zomer