We must go to the Lord for direction when faced with critical choices. David had a personal relationship with God, knew the Lord, and spent much time in God’s presence. This was the source of his strength. When he was in trouble, it was natural for him to turn to the Lord; he directed his questions to God. Unlike King Saul, who turned to a spiritual medium when he was in crisis, David diligently sought God’s will. He won his battles because he sought God’s mind before each battle.
“Then David said to Abiathar, the priest, Ahimelech’s son, “Please bring the ephod here to me.” And Abiathar brought the ephod to David. So David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?” And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.”” (1 Sam 30:7-8). When we inquire about Lord, it means we address our questions to Him, seek answers from Him, and pray for His help. David inquired of God at a shallow point in his life. He was distressed by an invasion of the Amalekites that had ransacked his village and kidnapped his family and soldiers. Everything was gone, and David’s soldiers also blamed him for their loss. What do you do in such a situation?
David decided to seek God’s mind about his following line of action; he knew how to hear directly from God. He did not outsource his spiritual direction to others. Instead of asking Abiathar, the priest, to inquire of the Lord on his behalf, David sought the Lord for himself. Even in the Old Testament, David learnt to listen to God when people depended on the prophet to hear from Him. He followed God’s leading faithfully, and once he knew the mind of God, he followed it. He didn’t seek God’s will for fun but was a doer of it.
