Today is August 13.
 
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you.    
  
Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”    
   
Today’s reading is from the book of 2 Samuel, chapter 18.  
  

While David was sitting between the inner and outer gates, the watchman went up to the roof of the gateway by the wall. As he looked out, he saw a man running alone. The watchman called out to the king and reported it. The king said, “If he is alone, he must have good news.” And the runner came closer and closer. Then the watchman saw another runner, and he called down to the gatekeeper, “Look, another man running alone!”  
The king said, “He must be bringing good news, too.”  
The king asked, “Is the young man Absalom safe?”  
Ahimaaz answered, “I saw great confusion just as Joab was about to send the king’s servant and me, your servant, but I don’t know what it was.”  
The king said, “Stand aside and wait here.” So he stepped aside and stood there.  
Then the Cushite arrived and said, “My lord the king, hear the good news! The LORD has vindicated you today by delivering you from the hand of all who rose up against you.”  
The king asked the Cushite, “Is the young man Absalom safe?”  
The Cushite replied, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up to harm you be like that young man.”  
The king was shaken. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he said: “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you—O Absalom, my son, my son!” 
  
  
Perhaps this passage is difficult to understand. To put it simply, King David is waiting for news about his son, Absalom. And the news he receives is bad... King David, the text tells us, is shaken, goes to his room to be on his own, and weeps. David’s life is full of emotion, and pain, and victory – and like in this passage – all those are often comingled. Talk to the Lord about how much emotion David demonstrates. How do you deal with your own emotions? With grief, or pain? 
   
The Bible is not afraid to narrate the truth of the world. The Bible doesn’t paint a picture of a spiritual life that is simplistic, or escapist, or void of difficulty. The Bible, which is a story about where we are coming from, and where we are heading, and what story we are a part of... is filled with the kind of disorder and emotional reality that are lives are filled with. Listen to the story again and consider how it describes David. Imagine him: a father... waiting.... for news. 
   
There is a lot of rich history and theology to this passage, but what I find striking is the plain grief. David was shaken. David wept. Oh my son, David cried out. Do you hold any areas of grief in your life right now? Do you know anyone else who does? How might you be present to your own grief, or to the grief of someone you care about? Ask the Lord to guide you in the ways of all comfort today.

Music: Great Are You Lord - Vineyard Columbus - (YouTube)