Pastor’s Weekly Devotional

Bayshore Weekly Devotional

Learning to Lean

Pastor Jim Harper

4/30/26

Do you ever feel like life is coming at you from all sides – all directions – and what’s coming is more of a maelstrom than a breeze? Every time you turn around, you sense another blow coming from an unexpected – maybe even unseen source? 

 I’ve often thought about the life of King David – before he officially mounted his nation’s throne. He hadn’t asked the prophet Samuel to come and anoint him king instead of all his older brothers. Can you even imagine how tense - awkward things must have been around Jesse’s household for the ensuing days – months – years following David’s coronation? 

 The young shepherd was simply trying to protect his homeland, stand for Jehovah’s honor when he released that fateful stone that embedded itself deeply between Goliath’s eyes. He was undoubtedly as surprised as everyone else when the mammoth giant toppled like a sawn oak to the earth. David was likely more confused than elated in the following months when he heard the adoring throngs singing ‘Saul has slain his thousands, David his ten thousands”. If you’re suspecting Saul didn’t appreciate that too much, you’d be right. After initially leading the cheers, Saul next chases the young warrior from his throne room with a violent toss of his javelin. 

 For many years following, David lived on the run. God’s promises at this point must have seemed a distant memory, and yet we know from his writings that the young man maintained the bulk of his substantial strength and courage from an ever-deepening relationship with His heavenly Father. The Davidic Psalms give us many examples to choose from chronicling his growing faith in life’s most difficult times. Let’s consider several portions of Psalm 71: 

“In you, O LORD, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame! Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I may continually come…Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man. For you, O Lord, are my hope… upon you I have leaned from before my birth…for my enemies speak concerning me; those who watch for my life consult together and say, “God has forsaken him; pursue and seize him, for there is none to deliver him.” But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more...” 

Herein lies the lesson. When the trials and struggles of life mount to the breaking point, what should we do? LEAN IN CLOSER THAN EVER TO OUR LOVING LORD. God wasn’t finished with David. God, in fact, still had great plans for David. But it also appears a tumultuous training time was crucial to preparing the young man for the throne room ahead. Let me end this way. Many songs stuck hard and made a deep, abiding impact on me as a young teen growing up. This one has certainly stood the test of time. Let me leave you with the final few lines as a fitting close to this devotional: 

 “Learning to lean, learning to lean, I’m learning to lean on Jesus. Finding more power than I’ve ever seen, I’m learning to lean – on Jesus.” - George Beverly Shea