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Lessons from Failure

I’ve always been intrigued by the way Scripture describes King David—a man after God’s own heart. We first hear this description of David when the prophet Samuel confronts King Saul with his sin. Samuel tells Saul, “But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people” (1 Samuel 13:14, NIV). What exactly does it mean to be a person after God’s own heart? Any time I read passages about David, I always ask the Lord to help me understand this concept better. Just this morning, my Bible reading led me through 1 Chronicles 10-18, and once again I prayed for greater understanding.

The first nine chapters of 1 Chronicles contain Israel’s history from creation to the Babylonian exile. Chapter ten goes back to the death of King Saul and leads us to the reign of David. The writer of Chronicles (Ezra, according to Jewish tradition) doesn’t spend much time telling us about the life and reign of Saul, he simply tells us why he died. “Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord; he did not keep the word of the Lord and even consulted a medium for guidance, and did not inquire of the Lord. So the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse” (1 Chronicles 10:13,14, NIV).

Through the years, I’ve learned almost as much from negative examples as I have from positive ones. We can learn several lessons from Saul. First, we see things Saul did wrong—he was unfaithful to the Lord and he did not keep the word of the Lord; and yet we also see something Saul failed to do—inquire of the Lord.

If we were asked to describe what it means to be a person after God’s own heart, we might say to be faithful to God and to keep His word. But would we immediately think—someone who inquires of the Lord? This is an interesting word: inquire. Webster defines it this way:  1. to seek information; ask a question or questions; 2. to carry out an examination or investigation—to seek information about.

Let me share what I highlighted this morning in chapters 14–15 of 1 Chronicles:

• “…so David inquired of God...The Lord answered him…” (14:10)
• “…so David inquired of God again, and God answered him…” (14:14)
• “So David did as God commanded him…” (14:16)
• “It was because you, the Levites, did not bring it up the first time that the Lord our God broke out in anger against us. We did not inquire of him about how to do it in the prescribed way” (15:13).

To be completely honest, I’ve read 1 Chronicles dozens of times and yet I missed the stark contrast between Saul and David. We see David consistently inquiring of the Lord, and learning costly lessons when he didn’t. As you read through David’s entire life, you find many more insights into being a person after God’s own heart—humility, willingness to wait on God’s timing, giving God glory and praise,  hunger for God’s word, brokenness and repentance for sin, and so much more. But today I’m challenged to inquire of the Lord.

God has opened many doors for KERRY CLARENSAU, which have prepared her for her current position as Leadership Development Coordinator for the national Women’s Ministries Department. Kerry has served the Kansas District in different ministry roles and as national Missionettes Coordinator. Under her leadership the current Mpact girls clubs (formerly Missionettes) program was developed in 1998. She has also served as women’s pastor at Maranatha Worship Center in Wichita, Kansas, where her husband serves as senior pastor. She is a Bible teacher, writer, wife, mother and much more. Her role as pastor’s wife is instrumental in developing effective leadership resources for the local church.

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