SAINT JOHN BOSCO, PRIEST (MEMORIAL)

Afterward, however, David regretted having numbered the people. 

Amidst life’s uncertainties, it’s natural to find yourself engaged in various forms of accounting: Do I have enough money? Enough friends? Enough clothes and possessions? But the security we truly seek comes from trusting in God, not from counting and measuring the things of the world.

David fell victim to this very temptation. Surrounded by enemies, he recognized that a war could be catastrophic. So to assess the strength of his kingdom, he ordered a census. It seemed like a sensible move. He wanted to know how many men he could call into military service if he needed to. So why did he later regret doing this?

Many commentators believe that David’s problem was lack of faith. Regretting his decision, he realized that he had forgotten that Israel’s true strength was in the Lord (2 Samuel 24:10). Time and time again, God had given them victory even when they had been vastly outnumbered. So David’s assessment of his people’s strength revealed a lack of trust in God their protector.

Where do you find yourself counting without trusting? Maybe in an earnest attempt to become holier, you measure your worth by external religious markers, like the number of prayers you recite, the extent of your charitable deeds, or the size of your contribution to the poor box. All of these are important, of course, but God doesn’t measure your worth by them. He doesn’t love you more if you do more. He offers you his grace simply because he loves you. And that grace is immeasurably more than you can imagine (Ephesians 3:20).

Perhaps financial responsibilities or a busy calendar makes you feel as if you constantly have to monitor how much time and money you have available. You might be acting very responsibly, but even so, how much are you able to trust in the One who provides for all your needs? Or to what extent do you still believe that peace comes from your power to measure and control your resources?

Your heavenly Father cares as deeply about you as he did for the people of Israel. You can count on him.

“Lord, give me more faith to believe that you are in control. Help me to trust you in all things.”

2 Samuel 24:2, 9-17
Psalm 32:1-2, 5-7
Mark 6:1-6