God in the Balsam Trees

Friday & Today's Readings: 2 Samuel 1-5; Luke 24:36-53; John 1:1-28

In today’s reading from 2 Samuel, David finally becomes king over all of Israel. He’s not a perfect man, which we see by the mentioning of all his wives and concubines. Yet he still follows after God, asking Him before he fights any battles. I loved the picture at the end of today’s reading in particular. David is about to fight the Philistines once again. Instead of just battling them head on, because he’s gotten permission to do so from God in the past, David once again turns to the Lord for advice. What God tells him is interesting. He tells David to circle around behind the Philistine camp and wait at the balsam trees: “As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move quickly, because that will mean the LORD has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army." (2 Samuel 5:24 NIV). God was asking David to wait for His timing, not his own. While David probably would have done things differently, God wanted obedience from him here. And David listened.
I love this example because it’s one in which David waited for an audible signal, the sound of marching in the leaves of the trees. It made me wonder how often I truly stop and listen for a signal from the Lord. Do I keep too busy to here His direction? The answer, to often then naught, is yes. Business in this life is something I’m always trying to combat. Even today, I had every intention of doing my devotions when I first woke up, but here it is, already nearing the end of the workday. Sigh. I’m imperfect, I admit it. Just the same, I want so much to hear the voice of the Lord in my life, whether in the wind, a lovely worship song, in the touch of an encouraging friend, or within my heart, the Lord’s voice can be found so many ways.
Have you ever heard or seen God in your life? How? When? What did He want to teach you?