As I Samuel 23 opens, David is told that the Philistines are attacking and plundering Keilah. Verse 2 says, “So David inquired of the Lord, saying, ‘Shall I go and attack the Philistines?'” It is of note here that David did not just decide in his own mind to go up against the Philistines. Instead, he “inquired of the Lord” first. This is a good example for us!

We need to be careful to do this in every decision that we face too. Even if it is just a quick prayer for guidance from the Holy Spirit, we need to make sure that we do not thoughtlessly do anything without seeking God. How many poor decisions would we avoid if we would just incorporate this one habit into our lives?

In fact, Joshua 9:14 tells us that Joshua and the Israelites “did not ask for the counsel of the Lord” before they made a covenant with the Gibeonites, and it led them to make a foolish decision! May we learn from their poor example as well — we need to make sure that we always inquire of the Lord before we do anything.

As we learn to do this continually, for every decision large and small, we will exhibit the quality of “poverty in spirit” that Jesus taught in Matthew 5:3, recognizing that we can do nothing without depending upon Him to guide us. May we learn like David to continually “inquire of the Lord.”