Figuring it out through the chaos with God

Chaos has a way of showing up in waves. You survive the big blow up, you catch your breath, and then another problem slides in like it never got the memo that you’re exhausted. That’s where we are in the life of David as we move through 2 Samuel 20 and 21: Absalom’s rebellion is over, David is back on the throne, and yet the kingdom is still cracked with division, distrust, and fresh tension. 

We talk through two different kinds of crisis and what they require from us as Christians. First comes the loud kind: Sheba stirs up another rebellion, Joab rushes toward destruction, and a wise woman steps in with calm questions and a clear solution. That moment becomes a picture of biblical wisdom in real life, the kind that pauses before reacting, lowers the volume, and protects people from unnecessary damage. 

If you’ve been trying to manage symptoms instead of addressing the root, this devotional will meet you right there with practical faith and hope. 

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Transcript

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Hello, hello. You're listening to the Jesse Morgan Devotions for the Christian Heart Podcast, episode 105. This week's devotional is titled Figuring It Out Through the Chaos with God. Study of David. Let's go. Hi, I'm Jesse Morgan. I used to just share home decor and renovation tips on social media, but now I'm sharing something even closer to my heart. My journey in love for Jesus Christ, my Savior. Welcome to the Jesse Morgan Devotions for the Christian Hawk Podcast. This is a weekly devotional I started back in May 2024, but the inspiration for it came much earlier. It was rooted in a faith journey that began when my daughter was born four months early in 2023. Through that challenging time, God worked in ways that truly amazed me. On this podcast, I share personal stories of faith woven together with Scripture to show just how incredible God's word can be in our everyday lives. My hope is that through these stories, you'll be encouraged, uplifted, and reminded of God's love and presence, no matter what you're going through. So I invite you to spend less than 15 minutes with me each week as we reflect on these devotionals together. Let's all pray within. Hello, hello, everyone, and welcome back to the podcast. I'm so excited to be back. I've missed you all. I'm so sorry about last week. I've been, I was just dealing with some things and um I just had to get mentally right, you know, spiritually right. And I'm back. God is amazing, the good things are coming. And so let's dive back into the life of David. Um, we are almost to the end. I think I've spent over six months on this. I can't believe it. Um, but it's been so great to learn about his life in this detail and his and the lessons that come from it and the faith and you know, and even the mistakes and things like that. But there's so much in David that we can take into our lives right now. And I think that's what I didn't realize before. And I'm so thankful for this study. So let's do this. So we're picking up where we left off. Uh, we had finished at 2 Samuel 19, so now we're focusing on 2 Samuel 20 and 21. So at this point in the story, to read, you know, a little bit of a you know, recap here, David's son Absalon, had led a full rebellion against his father. It was messy, emotional, deeply personal. And now Absalom is gone. He's, you know, he is dead, unfortunately. And David is back on the throne, which is a good thing. But just because David is back in position doesn't mean everything is fixed. There's still damage, there's still division, there's still broken trust among the people. And it's almost like you're trying to, you know, um rebuild, you're trying to move forward, you're trying to get things back on track, and then more chaos breaks out. Just what we need, right? More drama, more tension. And that's exactly what we're walking into in 2 Samuel chapters 20 and 21. So the question becomes here um, how do you handle that? How do you respond when things just keep coming? And before we get into chapter 20, um, I want to start with a story that really sets the tone. Because when I read this, I it immediately brought back, you know, something I experienced before. So if you've ever been a part of a wedding, a quincenata, a sweet 16, even a big, big, big birthday party, you know the day of the event is chaotic usually. Emotions are high, everyone has opinions, things don't always go as planned. And one of my best friends, I've known her since like seventh grade, was getting married. And I was in her bridal party. And that morning of the wedding, everything already felt a little off. I was supposed, it was supposed to be um an outdoor wedding and it started raining. The photographer was running late, so I ended up stepping in and taking all her get ready photos with my camera. But the moment that really stood out was when she started getting her hair done. Um, my friend had spent months growing her hair out because she wanted it to be long, soft, and flowy for her wedding. That was the vision. But her mom kept coming over saying she didn't like it. She didn't want it, she wanted it up, she wanted something more structured, and you could feel the tension building in the room. The hairdresser was frustrated because she didn't know what direction to go. My friend, the bride, was torn because she wanted to honor her mom, but she also had her own vision, and it just kept going back and forth, back and forth, up or down. What are we doing? Finally, her mom looked at me and said, Jessica, can you help us figure this out? You figure it out, and she walked off. And I remember pausing, not reacting, just observing. I had looked at my friend who had grown her hair out for months and clearly wanted it down. I had looked at her mom who just wanted it to feel elegant and up. And then I looked over at another bridesmaid who had already gotten her hair done. And she had this beautiful half up down style. And I said, Hey, why don't we do that? Let's do half up, half down. And immediately everything shifted. Her mom loved it, my friend felt seen, the hairdresser finally had direction, and within 30 minutes, her hair was done and it was beautiful. And the rest of the day, peaceful, joyful, no more tension, no more real drama. And it seems like such a small moment, but it changed the atmosphere completely. And the reason that that stood out to me is because that's what wisdom does. Wisdom doesn't add more noise, it brings clarity. I'm not saying I'm the most wise person, but you look at the facts, you you you know what's going on, you make a sound decision. There you go. And that's exactly what we see in 2 Samuel chapter 20 as well. And there's a man named Sheba who rises up and says in 2 Samuel 21, it says, um, he says, We have no share in David, no part in Jesse's son, every man to his tent, Israel. And just like that, people started turning away from David again. Another rebellion. Right after everything that just happened with Absalom, the king limp, the kingdom is clearly still still fragile, loyalty isn't solid, and it doesn't take much for people to walk away. So now David is dealing with another rebellion. He sends um a massa to gather the troops, but a masa delays, takes too long. So Joab, who is usually David's right hand, steps in, takes matter into his own hands, and even kills Amasa to take control of the army again. And now it's escalating, it's getting worse. And Joab tracks down Sheba to the to a city, and he's ready to tear the whole place apart just to get to this man. And then a wise woman steps in. In 2 Samuel 20, 16 through 17, it says, A wise woman called from the city, listen, listen, tell Joab to come here so I can speak to him. And when Joab comes to her, she asks what he wants. And in 2 Samuel 20, 21 through 22, he says, Far be it from me to swallow up or destroy, a man named Sheba has lifted up his hand against the king, hand him over, and I will withdraw from the city. She doesn't come in loud, she doesn't escalate the situations, she simply seeks understanding. And when she understands the real issue of what Joab is asking, she helps bring a solution, and the entire city is spared. All because one person shows wisdom in the middle of chaos. And I think that's the first lesson here. Nothing not everything chaotic needs force. Not everything chaotic needs force. Sometimes it just needs wisdom. It just needs for you to sit there and look at the facts and make a sound decision with you know seeking out the Lord to do it. Now on to chapter 21. This shifts us into a different kind of problem that David is dealing with. This one isn't loud. It's not a rebellion, but it's a famine. For three years, Israel is in a famine, it says in verse in chapter 21. And instead of just reacting, scripture tells us exactly what David does. So in 2 Samuel 21, 10, 21, 1, it says, There was a famine during David's reign for three successive years. So David sought the face of the Lord. And he didn't just try to fix it, he sought God. So just take, just remember that. And then and this reminded me of something in my own life. My husband and I bought our first home back in 2020. We love our home. We've renovated it, updated it, made it our made it ours. But there's one part of the house that always felt off. It's technically a two-car car garage, but years ago, someone converted most of it into a bedroom and bathroom. This was way like 20 plus years ago. From the outside, everything looks normal. But on the inside, something didn't add up. And one day I start I started to really, you know, look into it. And I realized something wild. One of the garage doors is still there, but hidden. From the outside, you can see it, but from the inside, half of it disappears. Because they built the bathroom right up against it. You heard me, right up against it. The garage door is literally part of the wall behind the shower. And I remember thinking, how did this happen? And now, years later, we're living in this home we love, but we know at some point we're going to have to deal with that. It's not urgent right now, but eventually we're gonna have to go back, undo what was done, and fix it and do it the right way. And it's gonna cost a lot, probably. And that's exactly what's happening in 2 Samuel 21. Because when David seeks God, God reveals the root. In 2 Samuel 21:1 continued, it also says, um, it's on the account of Saul, because he put the Gibbonites to death. So here's why that matters. This goes all the way back to a promise that was made. Joshua 9 15 it says, When then Joshua made a treaty of peace with them, and the leaders of the assembly rati ratified it by oath. And then in Joshua 9 19 it says, We have given them our oath by the Lord, and we cannot touch them, referring to the Gibonites. This was a covenant before God. But then in 2 Samuel 21 2, it tells us Saul is in his zeal for Israel and Judah, had tried to alienate the Gibbonites. Basically, Saul broke the covenant, and now, years later, it's still affecting the nation of Israel. And what stands out to me is this David didn't just try to manage the famine, he sought the source. And once God revealed it, David had to take action. It wasn't pretty, it wasn't easy, it was wasn't it was not comfortable, but it had to be addressed. And I think that's the bigger lesson for us here. Sometimes you're looking at your life, wondering why something feels off. And when you dig deeper, you realize it didn't just start with you, but it still has to be dealt by you. So when we look at both of these chapters together, here's what we see, I feel. Um, in chapter 20, everything is loud, it's chaotic, it's emotional. And what changes everything isn't force, it's wisdom. It's someone willing to pause, step back, and see clearly to make a sound decision that brings, you know, the peace, the calmness back. And that to me, right there is what the wedding day represents. All the noise, all the opinions, all the tension, the moment things shift wasn't when someone pushed harder or pushed back. It was when someone paused long enough to see clearly and bring a solution that made sense. My best friend's hair being up and down. And then you go into chapter 21. It's completely different. It's not loud chaos, it's something deeper, something hidden, something unresolved. And that takes me right to my house. From the outside, everything looked fine. And but then you start looking closer, something wasn't right. And the deeper I dug, the more I realized this didn't start with me. At some point, it's gonna be dealt with by me, with this free with this crazy garage door in the bathroom. And that's what David also shows us. In one moment, wisdom is needed to calm what's happening right in front of you, and another moment, wisdom is needed to go deeper, to seek God, to uncover what's hidden and deal with what's been left unresolved. So maybe for you, it's one of those two things. Maybe you're in a moment that feels chaotic, loud, emotional, overwhelming, and your instinct is to what? React. But maybe God is telling you to pause and respond with wisdom. Or maybe things seem quiet on the surface, but something just feels off behind closed doors. And instead of just managing it, God is inviting you to seek Him, dig deeper, and uncover what's really going on. Because chaos doesn't always need force, and problems don't always need quick fixes. Sometimes what's needed is wisdom. Sometimes what's needed is seeking God first. And sometimes what's needed is the courage to face something that's been there all along. And just like David, we have a choice. We can ignore it, we can trust God, we can seek the truth, and um, you know, take steps to make things right, even if it's uncomfortable, even if it costs something. Um, because wisdom brings peace. Seeking God reveals truth and salvation and obedience, even when it's hard, it leads to restoring, it leads to restoration that you're seeking. Amen. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you so much for the study of David. Father, we bless your holy name. We are so thankful for the history of Israel and the, you know, the book of 1st and 2 Samuel, and just how incredible David's life has been, from the ups and the downs, and just the lessons that we could take from those and implement into our lives right now. Father, we thank you so much for this study as we're coming to a close very soon. But Father, please continue to open our hearts and our minds and everything from this book and these lessons, Lord, that we can live accordingly to you, to you, and to your purpose every single day. Father, we love you. Bless everybody who's listened. In Jesus' name, amen. Love you all. Till next time, we're almost done with David. Well, that wraps up this week's episode. I hope these devotions help you draw closer to God each day. If this episode encouraged you, please share it with someone who might need the same message. And don't forget to subscribe so you never miss a weekly episode. Also, if you feek if you feel compelled, leaving a nice review would be so appreciated as well. For more information or to reach out, check the show notes or visit jessymorganhome.com or find me on Instagram at Jessimorganlife. Remember, God's timing is always perfect. Keep trusting him. Until next time, this is Jessie Morgan praying off.