Are You here with me in the cave?

In grade school, we learned that there were five important questions to be answered when we wrote a story . . . who, what, where, when, and why? 

We're studying Psalm 57, so let's check this out. 

Who? David.

What? Hiding.

Where? In a cave.

When? While Saul was searching for him.

Why? Because Saul had vowed to kill him.

There's another "why" here. David must have been wondering, "God, why are You allowing this to happen to me?" 

After all, God had commanded Samuel to anoint David as king. David didn't apply for the job! He may have been wondering why God didn't remove Saul and put him in the king's palace? But here's the thing: Psalm 57 shows us that David understood something deeper. He knew in his heart that to ask the question "why?" in the midst of suffering is to ask the wrong question. The question we need to ask is "what?"  What does God want from our lives in the midst of our trial? And what does God want to accomplish as a result of this trial?

We may not understand God's purpose as He works in our lives. But there is one thing that we can understand -- the answer to "what" He wants to accomplish is that we will understand our most important motive: God's glory. 

God's glory should be our passion at all times, but especially when we are in trials. Even David, a man "after God's own heart," may not have realized WHY God was allowing him to suffer. But David was well aware that God desired to be glorified in the midst of this trial.

What does it actually mean to "glorify" Him? The scholars tell us that the Hebrew word (Kabod) has the meaning of weight, worthiness, reputation, or honor. It was used in their world to also describe a man of substance or reputation. Kinda like when we say of someone, "He's a heavyweight in his field."  What we are trying to say is that the person has substance - he must be reckoned with. 

When the word kabod was used to describe God, it referred to His intrinsic worth. It meant that God was (and is, of course) worthy of all honor because of Who He is. He is a God Who is perfect and holy in all of His ways.  So, to glorify God is to ascribe praise and honor to God for Who He is and all the things He has done. It means to speak of His faithfulness and His compassion, and to call attention to His holiness.

Paul told us:

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. (I Corinthians 10:31)

Whether we are doing things as mundane and "everyday" as eating or drinking, or whether we are in the midst of a trial, we strive to act in such a way that others will see and praise the God we serve - because they can see evidence of His attributes in our lives.

How do we do that?

David will tell us . . . . . because even if he did ask God, "Are you here with me in the cave," he received his answer and he rejoiced. Stay tuned!