1 Samuel 30:8
And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them?  And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.

David had just experienced a sudden and tremendous loss.  Everything was gone, his city burned, his family captured along with everyone else’s.  Despair filled him, and everyone had turned against him, but even in his great distress, David didn’t act hastily or foolishly.  Even with his emotions overwhelming him, he didn’t let them control him and push him into a bad decision.  While his instinct may have been to forge ahead after those who had taken everything from him, he was wise enough to stop and go before the Lord for guidance instead of just reacting to the situation in front of him.  He was willing not to pursue them if God would have said no.

We have to live our lives with a degree of self-restraint.  When we are simply reactive to things, we may make foolish choices that go against what God has for us.  When we allow ourselves to get caught up in the emotion of the moment, we may do something we’d later regret.  But when we focus on the Lord no matter what other turmoil is inside of us or surrounding us, we get clarity and direction.  And there is strength that comes from the assurance of being in the will of God that we can’t find within ourselves.

Like David, we may be faced with great trials at times in our lives.  Are we willing to stop and seek God before we take a step in any given direction?  Is it more important to us to know God’s view on the matter we are facing before we charge ahead with what we think we should do?  Are we willing to find our comfort and strength in the Lord as we seek His help?

There are many things in life that can seem so overwhelming.  The sense of loss that David experienced is unimaginable.  But his faith was in God, and He restored everything to David that had been taken from him.  So when we face these kinds of situations in our lives, let us do as David did and go before the Lord before we do anything else.  Let’s resist the temptation to act impulsively and instead submit to God’s leading.  That way we ensure that He will be with us in whatever He wants us to do.