INESSA'S JOURNAL

Today, as I was reading 2 Samuel 6, one part of the story stayed with me after I closed my Bible and I wanna share. It’s the story of Michal, the daughter of Saul and the wife of David. David had just brought the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem. It was a moment of great joy because the presence of God was returning to His people. David wasn’t thinking about his reputation, he wasn’t worried about looking dignified as a king, his heart was completely captivated by God, so he danced. He danced before the Lord with all his might, not because people were watching, but because he couldn’t help but worship the One who had been faithful to him. Every step, every movement, every celebration was an expression of gratitude. David wanted one thing, to give God all the glory. But while David was in the streets celebrating God’s presence, Michal was standing at a window, she wasn’t participating, she wasn’t worshiping. She was watching. The Bible says she despised David in her heart, instead of seeing a man passionately worshiping God, she saw someone who had embarrassed himself.

When David returned home, she greeted him with criticism instead of joy. David’s response reveals where his heart truly was “It was before the Lord… I will celebrate before the Lord, I will become even more undignified than this.” David understood something that every follower of God must eventually learn, obedience will often cost you the approval of people, but the approval of God is worth far more than the applause of man. The chapter closes with a sobering statement. Michal had no children for the rest of her life. While Scripture doesn’t explicitly say her barrenness was the direct result of her criticism, it intentionally places that detail at the end of this account. It leaves us with a picture that should cause every believer to examine their own heart.

It made me wonder how many times we sabotage ourselves without realizing it. Sometimes we become so focused on what someone else is doing that we stop paying attention to what God is asking us to do. We criticize instead of celebrate, we compare instead of encourage, we despise what God is blessing because it doesn’t look the way we expected. A critical spirit rarely hinders the person you’re criticizing, more often, it hinders you. Maybe you’re the one people are watching, maybe others don’t understand why you’ve changed, they don’t understand your hunger for God’s Word, your passion for prayer, your desire to build what God placed in your heart, or your willingness to obey Him when it doesn’t make sense. They may laugh, they may criticize, they may even despise the very thing God is doing in your life. Don’t let that stop you. If God told you to write, keep writing, If He told you to pray, keep praying, If He called you to start that business, keep building, If He called you to serve, keep serving. Don’t let the opinions of people become louder than the voice of God.

So many people never walk into their calling because they’re afraid of what someone else might think. Pray for boldness. Ask the Lord to free you from the fear of people. The fear of man will keep you standing still, but reverence for God will move you toward your purpose. David kept dancing, he kept worshiping, he kept obeying,. God continued to establish the calling on his life. Michal stayed at the window, consumed by what someone else was doing. That picture challenges me, I don’t want to spend my life watching what God is doing through other people while neglecting what He’s asking me to do, I don’t want criticism to rob me of gratitude or comparison to rob me of purpose. I want to be found in the presence of God, giving Him all the glory, even if I don’t look impressive to the people around me. So if God is calling you, don’t stop because someone is watching from the window. Keep worshiping, keep obeying, keep moving forward, God is pleased with a heart that seeks Him more than the approval of people.