I see Abba constantly beckoning on His body to grow into maturity because there’s only so much responsibility you can give a baby whose only concern is comfort.

Immaturity will make us fight battles in the name of God that God didn’t send us to fight.

I read David and Bethshebas story again last night, but my focus in the story was on Nathan, who was the prophet over Israel in the time of David’s reign, he brought and confirmed words to David, not because David couldn’t hear directly from God, but because there was an assigned office for a prophet in those times which God acknowledged and honoured in His dealings with Israel.

We read that towards the end of David’s life, while he was still facing the aftermath of his actions in his earlier years, and was now bedridden, Nathan walks in and bows before him, like he would’ve all through David’s life, even when David sinned against God.

“So they told the king, saying, “Here is Nathan the prophet.” And when he came in before the king, he bowed down before the king with his face to the ground.” 1 Kings 1:23

That singular act made me begin to think of the posture of Nathan’s heart to have stood through all those years backing David up despite all He knew of David’s ugly past. How he remained faithful and loyal to David in spite of the injustice David had mete out to others.

l imagined that after God had revealed David’s actions to Nathan after the Bathsheba incident, Nathan could’ve started to think in his head that ‘this man is unfit to rule the kingdom because he is promiscuous and a murderer’, but Nathan didn’t think that way. He knew it was Gods battle to fight and he was only a messenger. In the end, even if he had such thoughts, they remained subject to Gods direction per time.

And then we see years later, after Nathan might’ve known much more about David, both good and bad, He still accords him the honour and respect as king by bowing to him, even in his sick bed where it might not even matter.

The believer must grow! We must mature to a point where we don’t stand in the way of Gods doings on this earth. To a point where our feelings or thoughts are not the only metrics to our actions, but Gods voice.

Growing into maturity is less about us as individuals, but about the collective betterment of the body, if not, we’ll keep clawing at each other in squabbles, offering ourselves on altars in the name of the Lord.

Praying for my heart and the entire body this week, that we’ll be mature like Nathan. Honourable, faithful and obedient to God, even when our thoughts and feelings haven’t caught up.