Scattered Puzzle Pieces

Have you ever tried to put together a puzzle without looking at the picture on the front?  It makes the task much more difficult if we are unable to see the “big picture” and use it as our guide to connect the pieces.  Sometimes our life is just like that.  When we are in deep distress we often are able to see only a piece of the puzzle; and then we are walking around aimlessly trying to figure out how to make all the pieces of our life fit together.  But if we are Christians, we have hope.  Because there is One who does see the big picture.  And if we allow Him to guide us, then we will not end up with a bunch of missing pieces.

               In 1 Samuel 29-30, David was in distress.  He had spent months living in the wilderness, running for his life.  Finally, he had moved to the land of the Philistines, and had successfully allied himself with Achish, one of the royal leaders of the Philistines, so that he could stay a safe distance away from King Saul, who was seeking to take his life.  When the Philistines went to war to fight against Israel, David was not actively fighting against his own country, but he was definitely in their (Israel’s) “enemy formation.”  David and his army were in the rear formation, acting as body guards on the side of the Philistines!  The other Philistine princes did not like this one bit.  They did not completely trust David as Achish did.  So Achish sent him back to Philistia.  At first, David was upset.  He said, “But what have I done?  And to this day what have you found in your servant as long as I have been with you, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king (I Samuel 29:8)?”

               At this point of distress, David was only holding a piece of the puzzle.  But there was one, His Heavenly Father, who was looking at the big picture.  Nevertheless, David did listen to Achish and returned to Ziklag, a city in Philistia that had been given to him by Achish.  When David got home, all of the sudden he was made aware of the “big picture!”  His own city had been burned and his wives as well as all the inhabitants of the city had been taken captive!  David knew that time was limited, but that because of his timely arrival, that there was still time left if he acted wisely.  So what did David do?  And how can we learn from David when we have moments of distress in our lives?

               Well, first David cried.  Yes.  He cried.  Crying is okay.  Even if you are David!  “Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep (1 Samuel 30:4).  But did David wallow in his tears and stay in that spirit of distress and defeat and self-pity?  No.  As a matter of fact, the very next thing he did was strengthen himself in God.  “But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God (1 Samuel 30:6).  Next, David went to God and asked him for advice.  “So David inquired of the Lord, saying, ‘Shall I pursue this troop?  Shall I overtake them (I Samuel 30:8)?”  Lastly, David listened to the Lord’s answer and then heeded the Lord’s advice.  The Lord told David, “Pursue for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all (I Samuel 30:8).”

               During times of darkness and deep distress, we must not lose sight of the Lord.  It is He that holds the big picture to the puzzle pieces of our lives.  If we follow His direction, through prayer and study of His inspired word, the Holy Book, the bible, then we too can rise from the pits of distress like David did.  Notice that in 1 Samuel 30:17-19, David follows the Lord’s advice.  Because David asked the Lord for advice and followed it, he was able to receive victory, just as the Lord promised in chapter 30 verse 8.  “And nothing of theirs was lacking, either small or great, sons or daughters or spoil or anything which they had taken from them.  David recovered all).”

               We can learn a lot from David in this story.  Remember, initially it did not quite work out as David had planned.  He wanted to be in the Philistine formation against Israel.  But God, the master puzzle maker, the one who saw the big picture, knew that David needed to get back quickly!  So sometimes we do not always get what we want or even what we think we need because we do not see the big picture.  Without the One who can see the big picture, we are just a bunch of scattered puzzle pieces without any direction or guidance.  So the next time you are feeling down, discouraged, distressed, upset, burdened, turn to the master puzzle maker, and allow Him to put the scattered pieces of your life back together!!!!!