My daily reading this morning was from 1st Chronicles 14. In this chapter there were two accounts of the Philistines coming against David and his troops. Verse nine has the first account; Now the Philistines had come and raided the Valley of Rephaim; so David inquired of God: "Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?" The LORD answered him, "Go, I will hand them over to you." Then, in verse thirteen there is a very interesting exchange between God and David. Once more the Philistines raided the valley; so David inquired of God again, and God answered him, "Do not go straight up, but circle around them and attack them in front of the balsam trees. As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move out to battle, because that will mean God has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army." So David did as God commanded him, and they struck down the Philistine army, all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.
Wow, what a wonderful relationship that God would give David such very specific directions in order for David's army to achieve victory. I can't tell you all the times I have longed for God's specific instruction like this. While I have been privileged on many occasions to hear from God, never has it been this specific. Generally God has spoken to me through his Word or in my mind to confirm His Word, or confirm a truth I was trying to apply to my life. Is it possible that we can expect God to speak to us with this kind of detail? I think so, after all, David was a human, like me. While he was called a "man after God's own heart", he was still a man, with weaknesses and sin. But he also knew how to seek forgiveness and how to worship his way to God's heart. "Oh God, help me to come into Your presence in such a way that You are able to speak to me in very specific ways."
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