The king covered his face with his hands and kept on crying, “O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!” 2 Samuel 19:4
Absalom, was David’s third son. His name in Hebrew means father of peace, although his life was never one of peace. He was full of pride and vanity, he thought he was the best and no one was better than him. He was vengeful, he killed his brother Amnon for abusing his sister Tamar. He was selfish and disloyal to his father. He even tried to fight his father to gain control over the kingdom. His life was cut short. He died with unforgivingness, hatred, and a void in his heart. Although he was never perfect, and never spent much time with his father, the King, David still loved him with all his heart and mourned for him.
At times, we act like Absalom.
We don’t spend too much time with the King.
Are lives are not filled with peace, we seem to be fighting most of the time.
We are conceited, no one can compare to us, we know it all.
We are vengeful. Someone hurts us, we make sure they suffer more than we did.
We are full of pride, it is very hard for us to forgive.
We are selfish. Our wants and desires come before anyone and anything.
We are disloyal to our Heavenly father. When something doesn’t go our way, or our life is full of problems, we blame God, we say “If God were a God of love these things wouldn’t happen to me”
We try to take over the kingdom, by doing things ‘our way’ and not God’s way.
David loved his son Absalom with all his mistakes and defects. God loves us even more, we are His children and He created us to live a life of peace. He wants to spend more time with us. He mourns when we mourn. He hurts when we hurt. It saddens Him to see us living lives without peace because He has promised us a peace beyond our understanding. You can have all the riches, all the beauty and everything the world can offer, but if you do not have a relationship with your Father, the King of kings, you will never have the peace that gives your life meaning, happiness and hope.
“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. John 14:27
Don’t let life go by like Absalom without spending time with the King. Forgiving those who have hurt you. Kind to those who have mistreated you. A peacemaker when others want to fight. Loving to those that love you. Loyal to the word of God.
All these things will bring peace to your life, and if by any chance your life is cut short, you know you did all you could to make a difference in the lives of others, gave your life meaning and spent most of your time with the King.
Prayer: Lord, I want a life of peace. I need a life of peace and I know I can achieve it by spending more time with You. Help me to be more loving, forgiving, kind and loyal. I don’t want life to go by without making a difference in my life and the life of others. Give me Your peace today. Amen.
