1 Chronicles 15

David built houses for himself in the City of David; and he prepared a place for the ark of God, and pitched a tent for it. Then David said, "No one may carry the ark of God but the Levites, for the LORD has chosen them to carry the ark of God and to minister before Him forever." And David gathered all Israel together at Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the LORD to its place, which he had prepared for it.

(1Ch 15:1-3)

So David, the elders of Israel, and the captains over thousands went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from the house of Obed-Edom with joy. And so it was, when God helped the Levites who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, that they offered seven bulls and seven rams. David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who bore the ark, the singers, and Chenaniah the music master with the singers. David also wore a linen ephod. Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting and with the sound of the horn, with trumpets and with cymbals, making music with stringed instruments and harps.

(1Ch 15:25-28)

I LOVE our God so much. He is full of MERCY and GRACE; He is always looking to forgive, and to give us the SECOND CHANCE. Not just the second chance, but the third, fourth, on and on, as long as it takes. Here we see David with a SECOND CHANCE in regards to the ark. This time it isn’t the WORLD that has told him what to do, but it is the WORD OF GOD.

What a difference this makes! No longer is this an event that is interrupted by anger, sorrow, and fear… now it is fully and completely an event of JOY from beginning to end. When we live according to God’s Word, it often means more work. It means not cutting corners, it means difficulty, and it means leaving the wide easy road for a difficult one that is straight and narrow. It means not going around difficulties, but meeting them head on. Sometimes these facts are enough to cause people to say, “I’m not going to do things the Lord’s way, it’s just too hard.” Sadly, they don’t realize the difference that is made in the end. You see, the trade off for the difficulty, for the challenge and work it can be to do things God’s way, is the GREAT JOY WE SEE HERE. We can’t expect to experience God’s joy in our lives if we are living for ourselves.

On David’s first attempt at bringing in the ark, we saw him lose his joy, and walk away angry, scared, and confused. If we do things our way or the world’s way, that will always be the result in the end. But if we listen to the Lord, if we take the straight and narrow road and follow Him, even if everyone else goes another route, we will be FILLED WITH JOY UNSPEAKABLE. Follow the Lord; Experience life at its FULLEST.