Untitled Episode

📖 Wisdom Wednesday — Where Do You Turn First?

Life has a way of hitting us all at once.

A difficult conversation.

Unexpected news.

A relationship that's strained.

A decision you didn't expect to make.

In moments like those, our first response often determines our next direction.

When David returned to Ziklag, he found his city burned, his family taken captive, and his own men talking about stoning him.

Yet before he reacted...

Before he made a plan...

Before he took a single step...

He sought the Lord.

Sometimes the wisest thing we can do isn't act faster.

It's pause long enough to hear God's voice.

💭 Today's Wisdom

Wisdom begins by turning to God before turning to your circumstances.

Before you send that text...

Before you respond in frustration...

Before you make that difficult decision...

Take a moment to seek the Lord.

He already knows what you cannot see.

🙏 Today's Prayer

Lord, when life feels uncertain and my heart is tempted to react in fear, remind me to turn to You first. Be my strength when I feel weak, and give me wisdom before I make decisions. Help me seek Your heart before I chase my own solutions. Teach me to trust Your guidance more than my emotions, knowing that You see what I cannot. In Jesus' name, Amen.

If these words express your heart today, make them your prayer. Or find your own words and spend a few moments honestly talking with the Lord.

🎙️ Today's Five More Minutes is also available wherever you listen to podcasts.

The wisest step you may take today isn't moving faster... it's turning to God first.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:03

Hello, friends. Would you join with me as we spend five more minutes with God? Today is a Wisdom Wednesday. We've made it to the middle of the week. It's the day where we seek God's wisdom in our decisions, in the challenges that are before us, and in the opportunities that we face every single day. Today I'd like to ask you to turn with me if you have a Bible nearby to 1 Samuel chapter 30 as we spend a few moments in God's Word. Have you ever had one of those moments where it felt like everything was falling apart all at once? Maybe it was a phone call. Maybe it was a diagnosis. Maybe it was a broken relationship or unexpected bad news. It's in those moments that what we do next often determines the direction that we're going to take. David found himself in one of those moments, one of those defining moments. He and his men had returned home to the city of Ziklag only to discover that it had been burned to the ground. Their wives, their children, their families, everything that they owned had been taken away. And the men were so overwhelmed with grief, they began talking about even stoning David. David was not just carrying his own pain in that moment. He was surrounded by people who were hurting and they were looking for someone to blame. And then in the midst of all this crisis and this terrible moment, we read one of the most beautiful statements of David's life. Listen to 1 Samuel chapter 30, verse 6. Moreover, David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, for all the people were embittered, each one because of his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. Don't miss those words. David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. Now notice where David finds his strength. It says David strengthened himself. Don't get this idea that this was just some positive thinking. This is not David relying in his own abilities. It's not him trying to convince himself that he had the strength that he needed. His strength, we're told, was found in the Lord. When everything around him was collapsing, David intentionally turned toward God. But the story doesn't stop there. Listen to verse 7 and 8, the very next verses of 1 Samuel 30. Then David sent to Abathar the priest, the son of Amelik, please bring me the ephod. So Abithor brought the ephod to David. David inquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue this band? Shall I overtake them? And he said to them, Pursue, for you will surely overtake them, and you will surely rescue all. So David sends for the ephod. The ephod represented the presence of God, the direction of God, seeking the wisdom of God. David sends for this ephod that he may have communion with God. It's representing the fact that he intentionally turned toward God when everything around him was collapsing. Before David made a decision, before he reacted, before he chased the enemy, he sought the Lord. He asked, Shall I pursue? David understood something that all of us need to remember. The first decision that we should make in a crisis should be to seek the one who already knows the outcome. And not only in moments of crisis, but in every situation of life. That's wisdom to seek the one who knows the outcome. James would later write in James chapter 1, verse 5: if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. James reminds us that God has told us to seek him, and he will give us wisdom. David lived that truth long before James ever wrote those words. David needed wisdom, so he asked God. I wonder how many regrets could be avoided in our lives if we simply learn to pause before we react. Most of us don't make our worst decisions because we're unintelligent. We make them because we're hurting. We make bad decisions because we're afraid, or because we're angry, or we're hurt, or we're exhausted. Pain has a way of convincing us to act immediately. But wisdom often begins by slowing down long enough to seek the Lord. David did not wait until he felt stronger. He went to the one who was stronger. And after seeking God, David obeyed what God told him to do. Here's today's sticky thought to hang on to. Wisdom begins by turning to God before turning to our circumstances. Wisdom is recognizing God and seeking his presence before we become focused on our circumstances. Friend, when life falls apart, where do you turn first? Do you immediately begin searching for answers, trying to problem solve? Do you start to replay every what-if scenario? Do you panic? Do you reach out to friends? Or do you first turn your heart toward the Lord? God has never asked us to figure everything out before we come to Him. He simply invites us to seek Him first. The same God who gave David wisdom is ready to guide his children today. As I've spent time in the passage today, I developed a prayer. It's in our description. If those words fit your heart today, then just pray those before the Lord. And if they don't, find your own words, but spend a few moments reflecting on this moment when David turned his heart toward God. And today, if you have to make a difficult decision, before you send that text or before you respond in frustration, take a moment to seek the Lord. Even in the everyday decisions that we make, take a moment to seek the Lord before you act. You may find the wisest step you take all day is not moving faster, it's pausing long enough to hear God's voice. Wisdom begins by turning to God before we turn to our circumstances. Oh friend, so many times I've just focused on my circumstances. But God wants us to focus on Him. And He will direct us. God bless you. See Him first today. Join me tomorrow as we spend five more minutes with God.