It's a challenge

I've been dealing with an inner struggle for quite some time now. There have been times when it has been quite crippling to my relationship with God and other times when I feel like I have managed it well.  However, while in this particular instance it is my struggle, I think we all face something similar at one time or another.

The struggle I am speaking of is one in which we deal with someone in leadership who doesn't seem fit for the position.  For many of you reading, it could be as easy to identify as looking at a president and saying I like this one and not that one or vice-versa.  There are many many other places in our lives where this can also be true, but I can only imagine we all do deal with it from time to time.

As I have been on this journey for answers, I came across a sermon yesterday from a favorite pastor/speaker of mine Francis Chan. He was actually speaking to being slow to speak and slow to anger and how that can relate to our "stress" and anxiety.  As he was speaking to the concept of not worrying about things and remembering God is in control he ventured over to the story of David and pulled a few pieces of David's story out that very much struck me as an opportunity to try and figure out what God is wanting to teach me.

If you know David's story you should be able to follow along pretty well.  If not, grab a Bible and check it out.  It is quite interesting.

At one point in David's life, he spent a great deal of time hiding from king Saul.  At least twice, God allowed him to get into the position where David or his men could have easily killed Saul and ended the suffering and hiding and yet both times David prevented his men from harming Saul. Not only that, but in both instances he made it clear to Saul that he could have killed him, but didn't. Both times, Saul thanked David for sparing his life and spoke of how much more righteous David was than he.  The reason David didn't harm him is because David said that God had anointed Saul and made him king, and it was not his job to remove him even though David had been anointed as was going to be the next king. 

David respected Saul's position even though he knew Saul was not following God.  He understood that God had placed him in that position and could easily remove him if He so willed.  The part that really got to me was how often we really don't see things that way.  We see things from a standpoint that if someone isn't qualified, God must not want them there while it could easily be that God does want them there and wants to teach His people something they need to understand. 

It's a hard place to be and I don't know how David did it.  I know it is a constant struggle for me, but I have to learn to find peace in the fact that God is in control and that God knows what He is doing even if I can't understand.  It's not an easy lesson to learn and certainly not an easy lesson to practice. 

Maybe there is an area in your life where you struggle with someone that is in leadership or authority.  How easy is it for you to trust God knows what He is doing?