Before we return to David, I want to reflect with you on a word that has largely disappeared from our vocabulary today. Buses!
The Duden defines this word as follows: "the effort to restore a relationship between God and man that has been disturbed by human crime" or "an inner conversion".
As Christians, we like to make other people feel that we are following higher values. We take these higher values from the Bible. But as humans we are not perfect. And as such, when we're on a so-called "good run," and by that I mean a time when we're succeeding in everything we set out to do, then we tend to get overconfident. We become vain and develop a pride that distances us from God. Pride itself is not bad, but the fact that we develop the feeling that we ourselves are the ones responsible for succeeding in the things we tackle. But as Christians, we basically know very well that it is God who gives us success. So our false pride puts us in the position of arrogating things that are given to us through the work and power of God. I know that feeling when I get praise for something I couldn't have done without God's help. Sometimes I point out that it would not have been possible without God's help and sometimes I just accept it. And there's nothing inherently bad about that. But our heart must not become arrogant. From the story of King David we know that God cannot be mocked. When David decided to bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, he disregarded God's instructions regarding the transport of the Ark of the Covenant on the first attempt. In his enthusiasm to implement his idea, he went with his followers, put the ark on a wagon and tried to transport it to Jerusalem in this way. But his endeavor failed when the Ark of the Covenant threatened to slip off the wagon in a brutal manner. Because Usa had to touch the Ark of the Covenant to prevent it from falling off the chariot and was punished by God with death for it. And during the 3 months that the Ark of the Covenant was in the house of Obed-Edom, David repented in Jerusalem. He had to admit to himself and to God that he had acted contrary to God's instructions. And when David went to get the ark the second time, he was well aware of God's instructions and fulfilled them to the last detail. David's ability to admit mistakes to himself and to God was a characteristic of a man after God's own heart. His story reminds me again and again that it is important that we admit to ourselves and to God when we have strayed from the good path. The inner reversal of ways that are not good for us is therefore elementary for a life with God. And anyone who has already done penance knows the feeling afterwards. It's like a heavy burden has been lifted from our shoulders. When we admit a wrong decision before God, it doesn't make us weak, it makes us strong.
Therefore, take time to reflect on whether there is something in your life that you should repent of and experience the feeling of liberation afterwards.
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