Beyond Common Sense

King David is at the end of his life and has reigned over Israel for forty years. He has brought Israel to its pinnacle of greatness thus far. (Solomon, his son, will take it even further politically but, sadly, not spiritually.) He now stands before the people, ready to hand the keys of the kingdom to his son. He has prepared everything Solomon will need to finish the temple. It is a wonderful time of celebration of all God has done. And yet, right in the middle of his speech, we find this verse:

  “For we [are] aliens and pilgrims before You,
As were all our fathers; Our days on earth [are]as a shadow,
And without hope.”

1 Chronicles 29:15

No hope? And yet, everything points to a wonderful future! His enemies are conquered. The people are in their land. They are about to build a permanent place of worship. Everything is great! Why “no hope?”

Other translations give us a deeper understanding: “There is no hope of remaining” (AMP); “we are without security that all will continue as they are” (NET); “there is no abiding” (ASV).

David is looking past this world! Right before him is his SON’S future—an earthly future. David has finished his race. Much like Paul, the king of Israel is saying, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). The chapter ends with his death. He is on the threshold of eternity, and God has moved the fulcrum.

Fulcrum—

-the point on which a lever rests or is supported and on which it pivots;

-a thing that plays a central or essential role in an activity, event, or situation.

            Perhaps you’re old enough to remember the seesaw, that deadly, dangerous piece of playground equipment. Personally, I always loved riding a seesaw, but I was also afraid of being “bounced” right off the thing by my “seesawing” partner.

As the definition says, the fulcrum is the point on which the lever or seesaw apparatus sits. It wasn’t until I was a mother that I realized the board could be shifted, like the sawtooth picture hanger—to the left or right to make it hang level. In the diagram above, the question is, how can one person outweigh or overbalance three people? Answer: you shift the fulcrum towards the heavier object. So, if I wanted to seesaw with my kids, I would put two of them on one end and shift the board toward the heavier side to level the “playing field.”

Think of the one end of the seesaw—the light end—as your seat. On the other end are the problems you are facing which steal away your hope. Perhaps that circumstance has hit you hard and unexpectedly and you find yourself holding on for dear life, being jolted nearly out of your seat as the weight of the problem hits the ground. And then, you are stuck up there! Remember those days? Your “seesaw partner” scoots back on his seat, adding more weight to his side, and you sit there, powerless to move!

Where is God in all this? HE IS THE FULCRUM! When we shift our cares or problems to our loving, heavenly Father, HE balances out the situation! “Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

We can’t unseat ourselves and move the board while our weighty foe sits on the thing! Only God can move the board, and He will gladly do that if we ask Him to, and it is His will to do so. We need to remember that He sees the whole playground. He may have us stuck up there for a reason we can’t see!

When I was a teen, I sang with my sister and two other girlfriends, and one of the songs we sang was, “Prayer is the Key to Heaven.” The words hold a great truth: simply put, pray—ask God—and believe He will hear and answer.

Prayer is the key to Heaven,
But faith unlocks the door
Words are so easily spoken
Prayer without faith is like a boat without oars
Have faith when you speak to the Master
That’s all He asks you for
Prayer is the key to Heaven
But faith unlocks the door.

—Don Gibson

When Hope is bounced off the seesaw of life,
Faith and Prayer even the sides.

God cares. God sees. God acts on our behalf. Trust Him. He will never let you go! Isaiah 41:10 “Fear not, for I [am] with you; Be not dismayed, for I [am] your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).