Are You Where You Are Supposed To Be?

"Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel" (2 Samuel 11:1a).

Hey Gang:  There is an adage that says, ‘We often find ourselves in the right place at the wrong time or the wrong place at the right time.  Years ago, while in the research stage of developing the Village, I had made an appointment with an old salt who had been in the camping business for more years than I had been alive.    

This was before the advent of GPS's.  His instructions to get to his  Camp were very clear: “Go to Napoleon and you will see directions on sign posts as you approach town.”  In other words follow ‘the yellow brick road’.  My daddy taught me, in my growing up years, that it was very important to be on time for appointments and to be late was just plain ignorant to the other person.

So, we had allowed plenty of time but when we got to Napoleon we found no sign with directions to the Camp.  No problem, it was a large YMCA Camp and everyone would know where it was located.  Besides the town was about the size of Podunkville.  So we went to Plan B and began to inquire of the local citizens where we might find Camp Storer.  Each time we were greeted with blank stares; they did not have a clue!

So, we went to Plan C and called the person we were to meet with and found we were in the right city, Napoleon, but the wrong state.  We were supposed to be in Napoleon, Michigan and was in Napoleon, Ohio.    A rapid fifty mile trip solved the problem and our mission was accomplished.

We were in the right place but the wrong state.  In our scripture of the morning David, you do remember David, don't you,   he was a man after God's own heart?  He had decided that this spring time he would delegate his authority and send his armies out to fight - without him.  That was mistake number one. 

If he had been where he was supposed to be, he would not have become bored in the middle of the night, out on the rooftop, and not seen the woman bathing.  From there it was rapid decline into the pit - adultery followed by murder.  And how did God feel about this "man after His own heart?" "But the thing that David had done was evil in the sight of the Lord"    (2 Sam. 11:27).  It was also the beginning of tragic times within David's family.

Another very familiar story of someone who was at the wrong place at the right time, Jonah.  God had a very special mission for Jonah, a mission that Jonah decided was not his cup of tea.  Not a good idea! When the ‘word of the Lord says’, "Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me." (Jonah 1:2-3).  

How many know that God has very unique ways of getting our attention?  I would suggest this was a Hall of Shame experience.  A whale, really?  His description of his ride in the belly of the whale sounds like an attention getter, "Water encompassed me to the point of death, the great deep engulfed me; weeds were wrapped around my head" (vs. 2:5).

Did it open Jonah's eyes?  "While I was fainting away, I remembered the Lord and my prayer came to You" (vs.7).

Soooo, my young witnesses and warriors, we do not have kings that go to war in the spring time, nor do we have whales in our neighborhoods, but God does have a way of ringing our bells when we are at the right place at the wrong time or the wrong place at the right time.   What joy there is in knowing we are in the right place at the right time!

Blessings,     

Gramps