Originally posted: 12/14/2019
Then David said to himself, “Now I will perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape into the land of the Philistines. Saul then will despair of searching for me anymore in all the territory of Israel, and I will escape from his hand,” (27:1).
Was this a hint of hope, or was there hopelessness in David’s words? Was he saying there is nothing better for him than to be in the place the Lord has him? Or was he perhaps wondering if he had somehow missed the Lord’s will?
I’ve been there, I’m sure you have too; left wondering if there wasn’t something better out there, if we didn’t somehow get out of step with Him, wondering why.
Honestly I had a tough time seeing Him in this chapter, but I was continually drawn back to this phrase from David, “There is nothing better for me…” And while it doesn’t take much for me to see the hope in David’s story, for I know how this all unfolds, sometimes it’s tough to see His Nothing Better as the events in our own life play out.
David may have felt this way, frightened for his life and uncertain of what the future held. But the truth is, he was in the perfect place to learn and lean on Him. And whether his statement was a declaration of hope or a cry of hopelessness, there was Nothing Better for David, held in the palm of His faithful hand, held securely in His Nothing Better.
Consider His Nothing Better
- His Nothing Better gives us hope for our future.
- “For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope,” (Jeremiah 29:11).
- His Nothing Better is made manifest in His Son.
- …having become as much better than the angels, (Hebrews 1:4).
- For He has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, (Hebrews 3:3).
- Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. 9 And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation, (Hebrews 5:8).
- His Nothing Better is knowing Christ Jesus as Lord.
- But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, (Philippians 3:7-8).
- His Nothing Better is living by faith in whatever circumstances we find ourselves.
- For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us, (Romans 8:18).
How do we respond to His Nothing Better?
Sometimes His Nothing Better doesn’t feel good.
I remember a conversation I once had with a dear friend in the midst of a horrific trial, learning to live by faith, learning to believe in His Nothing Better.
As we shared together, she expressed the encouragement she had gained through what the Lord had done in my own life during my most dark and trying of years. She told me it had spurred her towards hope. And she then went on to express a profound sentiment that often plagues even the most devout and loyal followers of Christ, “I have to remember to dream instead of waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
And I realized one of the most profound lessons I had learned during those painful days was that we need trials to teach us faith… and to learn to dream.
We would not need faith without the need for faith. So during the difficult days we must cling to His Nothing Better, even when life feels anything but good.
This I recall to my mind,
Therefore I have hope.
22 The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I have hope in Him.”
25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,
To the person who seeks Him.
26 It is good that he waits silently
For the salvation of the Lord, (Lamentations 3:21-26).
Let us remember to dream as we wait in hope for His Nothing Better.
“Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard,
And which have not entered the heart of man,
All that God has prepared for those who love Him,” (1 Corinthians 2:9).
His Nothing Better is abundantly beyond what we can even imagine!
Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, 21 to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen, (Ephesians 3:20-21).
May we learn to be grateful for the trials, and may we grow in our faith so as to boldly declare, “There is nothing better for me than… to trust His plans, to know His Son, and to learn to live by faith.”