1 Chronicles 14:10, 14 And David enquired of God, saying,, Shall I go up against the Philistines? And wilt thou deliver them into mine hand? And the Lord said unto him, Go up for I will deliver them into thine hand….Therefore David enquired again of God; and God said unto him, Go not up after them; turn away from them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees.
Twice the Philistine army came up against David to attack. Both times David inquired of God whether he should go up against them or not. The first time God said, “Go up;” The second time He said, “Go not up.” But wait by the mulberry trees, and when you hear a sound of going in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall go up. Both times the Lord delivered them and gave them a victory. The “sound of going” was the sign that the angels of God were advancing ahead, and then Israel could follow and smite the Philistines. God was going before them.
Both times David inquired of God. This kind of asking and then trusting was a hallmark of David’s career as warrior and king. We can see this same attitude in the Psalms of David: pray and believe. God promises to lead, guide, direct, and shepherd His children through all the issues of life as problems arise. We ask for guidance on the larger decisions in our life; on the smaller issues we may not specifically ask for guidance, but we are always aware of God’s presence and guidance in all matters. Indeed, we pray without ceasing, we pray daily for the Lord to be with us, and we continually trust Him to care for us and grant victories when struggles arise. Constant prayer and continual trust defines the life of the Christian. And, like David after God’s heart, we go from victory unto victory. The good news: sin, Satan, and death always lose; the Lord goes ahead of us and Jesus, forgiveness, and life always wins.