And they lived happily ever after...and her too.

I'm preaching this Sunday in 180 about the life of David, and I thought I'd take a little break from studying to share this thought that's been swimming around in my head for a few days.

"Then David sent for Abigail to tell her that he wanted her for his wife. David's servants went to Abigail at Carmel with the message, "David sent us to bring you to marry him." She got up, and then bowed down, face to the ground, saying, "I'm your servant, ready to do anything you want. I'll even wash the feet of my master's servants!" Abigail didn't linger. She got on her donkey and, with her five maids in attendance, went with the messengers to David and became his wife." 1 Samuel 25:40-42

I've always loved the story of David & Abigail. It always seemed so sweet to me. In the midst of the "taking of wives" and seemingly no real romantic stories, this one blazed forth. I loved how the New King James Version put it:

"And David sent and proposed to Abigail..."

That's probably the only time the word "proposed" is used. But in our Bible reading this week I read it again, and it made me sad. Here's why:

v43-44: "David also married Ahinoam of Jezreel. Both women were his wives. Saul had married off David's wife Michal to Palti (Paltiel) son of Laish, who was from Gallim."

Blech. Now I've never been married, so I'm only guessing here, but I would say that most of the romance in a relationship could be easily sucked out by the addition of another wife. What is so strange here is that we don't see David ever consulting God about who to marry. Michal is given to him so he takes her, but then she is given away. He digs Abigail's chili (as my roommate would put it), so he proposes. And then he just decides to add a little Ahinoam, a dash of Bathsheba and so on. He looks around at the kings of the surrounding nations and decides to do as they do. He bypasses God's opinion. And my question is:

WHY??

David heard God's voice all the time. He asked a question, God answered. I long for that kind of intimacy and connection with God. So if it wasn't because He didn't hear God, then why?

You know, I think it was David's "one thing."

"One thing", you ask?

Yeah, you know that one thing that you just can't seem to surrender to God. That one thing that you constantly become impatient about or anxious for. We all have them - most of us have that one hundred things.

I know I have them in my life. But I also know that I have promised to love Jesus with all my heart, soul, mind and strength for the rest of my life. It's a romantic, passionate, forever commitment and I don't want to pledge my life to Him, and then turn around and pledge it to someone else (or something).

God has been speaking to me a lot lately about the power, influence and beauty of surrender. It's hard to accept that I am not in control. It's hard to accept that I don't get to taste all that the world has to offer. It's hard to look at the cool, popular nations around me and know that I can't be like them.

But I know this: I want romance in my life!


In other news, this is where I want to be RIGHT NOW: