Covered in the Pursuit

Covered in the Pursuit
Words of Faith 11-27-24
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2024
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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1 Samuel 23:14-29
[14] David stayed in the desert strongholds and in the hills of the Desert of Ziph. Day after day Saul searched for him, but God did not give David into his hands. [15] While David was at Horesh in the Desert of Ziph, he learned that Saul had come out to take his life. [16] And Saul's son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God. [17] "Don't be afraid," he said. "My father Saul will not lay a hand on you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this." [18] The two of them made a covenant before the Lord. Then Jonathan went home, but David remained at Horesh. [19] The Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah and said, "Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hakilah, south of Jeshimon? [20] Now, O king, come down whenever it pleases you to do so, and we will be responsible for handing him over to the king." [21] Saul replied, "The Lord bless you for your concern for me. [22] Go and make further preparation. Find out where David usually goes and who has seen him there. They tell me he is very crafty. [23] Find out about all the hiding places he uses and come back to me with definite information. Then I will go with you; if he is in the area, I will track him down among all the clans of Judah." [24] So they set out and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the Desert of Maon, in the Arabah south of Jeshimon. [25] Saul and his men began the search, and when David was told about it, he went down to the rock and stayed in the Desert of Maon. When Saul heard this, he went into the Desert of Maon in pursuit of David. [26] Saul was going along one side of the mountain, and David and his men were on the other side, hurrying to get away from Saul. As Saul and his forces were closing in on David and his men to capture them, [27] a messenger came to Saul, saying, "Come quickly! The Philistines are raiding the land." [28] Then Saul broke off his pursuit of David and went to meet the Philistines. That is why they call this place Sela Hammahlekoth. [29] And David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of En Gedi.

Saul was in hot pursuit of David. If the story were not so serious, it would look a bit like the stage production of Peter Pan. We see "Captain Hook" (Saul) in an almost comic chase after "Pan" (David)-- always on the other side of a tree or missing him by just moments.
But all this was quite serious. We see God's sovereign hand at work to protect David from Saul, who continued to hang onto the last scraps of his corrupted power. Saul's pursuit of David was as futile as Hook's pursuit of Pan, but not because David was so crafty. It was because God was watching over David. There was a plan ahead for David. In David, God had planned our hope and our future.
Sometimes, we need to step back and see that the same protection is over us. The Enemy may pursue us in many ways, but he is constantly thwarted by the protective watch of the Lord. We surely do not see all of the ways that the Enemy is foiled and the ways that he bungles his efforts. In fact, the only victories that the Enemy gets are the ones we hand him.
David was living in the anointing of God. The hand and purpose of God was upon Him. But we are no less anointed. We stand on this side of the cross. We are part of the royal priesthood and holy nation. We are the peculiar people called forth out of darkness into marvelous light. Our victory over the Enemy that pursues us is complete. Satan has no power that we do not grant him either by our fear or by our surrender to our sinful nature.
Our Enemy pursues us, but he is always on the other side of the mountain if we are walking with Jesus. He is ever bumbling behind us if we are in step with the Spirit. Our enemy plots against us, but he can never find our stronghold, which is the Lord himself.
When we feel like the breath of the Enemy is upon our neck, we need to boldly recall that the Lord is with us. He is our victory, our fortress, our deliverer. In Him, we trust.

Father God, You are my strength and my fortress. In You will I trust. You are the stronghold of my life. Though my enemies pursue me, You are with me. Your shield and protection are over me. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2024
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2024 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.