Lucky?

1Samuel 23:19-24

Then some Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah and said, “David is hiding among us in the strongholds of Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is south of Jeshimon. Now, O king, whenever you wish to come down, do so; and our part will be to surrender him into the king’s hand.” Saul said, “May you be blessed by the LORD for showing me compassion! Go and make sure once more; find out exactly where he is, and who has seen him there; for I am told that he is very cunning. Look around and learn all the hiding places where he lurks, and come back to me with sure information. Then I will go with you; and if he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.” So they set out and went to Ziph ahead of Saul.

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Well, I've got to run to keep from hidin',
And I'm bound to keep on ridin'.
And I've got one more silver dollar,
But I'm not gonna let 'em catch me, no,
Not gonna let 'em catch the Midnight Rider.

"Midnight Rider" written by Gregg Allman and Kim Payne, recorded by The Allman Brothers Band, from "Idlewild South"

There's an old expression, "it's better to be lucky than good." Another that goes with it should be "chance favors the prepared mind." When you put these two things together, they say that "luck," as it is, complements preparation. When the unexpected happens, people who are ready for anything are more prepared than people who haven't.

So if you want to say you don't believe in luck, chalking it up to preparation, that's fine.

One of the key narratives of 1Samuel is Saul chasing David through the countryside. Saul is the one who is lucky at least once when David could have killed him, but didn't. Saul was King and David is faithful. Sometimes though, especially when Saul was losing his mind, faithfulness is just the foundation of a kingdom rotting from the top-down.

David is running because he is being chased. He's got his men. He has allies. He has provisions. He's got to run to keep from hiding. He's got one more silver dollar. And he's not going to let anyone catch him. He may seem lucky, but in truth he is prepared.

David has one more big thing in his side. He has been blessed by God.

David has been anointed. He has been called to be the next king. So as Saul is chasing David, suddenly there is word that the Philistines have attacked. Instead of leading the army against David, he has to lead it against the invaders and protect the kingdom.

Is this coincidence, luck, or the hand of God saving David? Is it serendipity or the Sovereign Lord taking care of his own?

David knows, to God goes the glory.

Traveling Companions

Luke 10:1-2

After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.

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Do you need anybody
I just need someone to love
Could it be anybody
I want somebody to love.

Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends

"With a Little Help from My Friends" by Joe Cocker

God bless the "Lone Wolf", but the truth is that people live longer when they live with somebody. With a partner in life, life is fuller, life is more wonderful. As it says in Genesis 2, God did not make man to be alone. So it's a wild world out there. The going is not easy. We need people in our lives, we need partners. We need traveling companions on the big blue marble. We need people to share the ups in life and maybe even more, we need people to share the downs.

Jesus knew this too. He knew when he sent the disciples out in the world that while seventy disciples could cover more territory; it would be more effective, more efficient, and better for everyone concerned to send 35 couples. Jesus knew it would be better for the disciples and better for those hearing the gospel if the disciples went out in pairs. Pairs bring balance. Pairs bring different views of the same Lord, just look at the gospels for an example of that. Pairs make a single person a group of three, and where two or more are assembled...

Well, that just goes to show the Lord is not a lone wolf.

Joe sings of wanting someone to love, anyone to love. This is the what God expresses in creation. We were created so that the Lord would have someone to share creation with. We were created to be in a couple with our Lord. This is the emphasis upon being the Bride of Christ. We are called into a loving relationship with God and with each other through the church. God created us to join him in that journey together.

What begins as a simple couple, what begins with the a pair of disciples going out two-by-two is just a reflection of how we are called into relationship with the Lord God. We are called to be God's traveling companions in this life. So find a partner, a prayer partner or a life partner, an evangelism partner or a study partner, and go into the world with the one who has called us to be traveling companions, to bring in the harvest in the name of the Lord.

This is how we get by, with a little help from our friends.

Follow, I Will Follow

John 1:35-39

The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon.

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If you walkaway, walkaway
I walkaway, walkaway
I will follow

"I Will Follow" by U2 lyrics by Bono, music by U2, from "Boy"

According to U2 legend, Bono wrote these lyrics about his mother who died when he was a teen. The song is about a mother's unconditional love. In Rock and Roll Devotional this could be the obvious choice, but some choices are not always so obvious.

John the Baptist was a Teacher, a Rabbi. By the people in the temple he was considered a weirdo-in-the-wilderness, but he had followers. One day, Jesus was walking along a ridge and John cries out, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” John had been preaching about the coming of the Lamb and what he would do. The work of the Lamb was so impressive, so important, that two of John's disciples left to follow Jesus. One of these was Andrew and the other was unnamed in scripture.

They must have followed at some distance. Jesus noticed them, of course and asked the big question, "What are you looking for?" They asked their question, "Where are you staying?" I can only imagine a coy smile and maybe a cock of the eyebrow as the Lord said "Come... and see." There they stayed. They stayed together until the crucifixion and until the ascension.

Jesus walked. They followed.

When they followed their world opened up. They lived the greatest story ever told, and went on to tell it themselves. Andrew is known as the great evangelist, and the first person he brought to the Lord is his brother Simon, the man who would become Peter, the Rock upon whom Christ would build the church.

Jesus walked. They followed.

On that first day and on every day until that last fateful day before Pilate, Andrew, his brother Simon, and all of the rest except for Judas followed. They traveled over all of Judea. They went throughout the nation of Israel. They didn't have a home base much less a home. They stayed with friends. They stayed with family. They stayed where someone longed to hear the word. And after the ascension, the kept following.

Jesus ascended. They kept following... they followed where the Spirit led.

Bono wrote "I Will Follow" as an expression of a mother's unconditional love. No matter how far a child strays, the mother follows. That's the difference between a mother's love and the love of God. No matter where we stray, there is no where the love of God is not already there to meet us and meet us with unconditionally.