Three Ruts That Hinder Your Relationship with God
Lessons from transporting the Ark of God in 2 Samuel 6
Have You Ever Fallen Into a Spiritual Rut?
I’ve been a pastor for 16 years, so my wife and I have
gotten used to parting ways early on Sunday morning so I can arrive early. I’ll
never forget one Sunday morning years ago. I was rushing out the door for
church while my wife and kids enjoyed a slow breakfast. One of my kids asked,
“Dad, where are you going?”
Without thinking, I said, “I have to go to work.”
That answer haunted me all day. Church had always been a
joy, not a job. But somewhere along the way, I had become… a professional.
It happens in every career. Once upon a time, you were an
intern—just glad to be in the building, glad to be on staff. Then you moved up,
got the title, and started feeling entitled. Once upon a time you were a Navy
recruit: as an entry-level seaman, only a paygrade E-1, you were just thrilled
to serve; thrilled to wear the uniform. But then you climbed the ranks and lost
the wonder. You went from “lucky to be here” to “they’re lucky to have me.”
And it happens in our faith. Remember when you first
became a Christian?
· Church was exciting.
· You couldn’t get enough Bible studies and devotionals.
· Prayer felt alive.
· Sharing your faith came naturally.
But now? You’ve become experienced in the whole thing.
· Your time with God feels stagnant.
· faith feels like following rules instead of a relationship with Jesus.
· Spiritual disciplines deplete you instead of filling you.
· Skipping church for an extra hour on the boat seems easier.
What happened? You fell into a spiritual rut. You
became fluent in Christianese and robotic in spiritual disciplines.
David Fell Into the Same Trap
In 2 Samuel 6, David sets out to bring the Ark of God to
Jerusalem—a symbol of God’s presence. As a new king, David wanted the presence
of God to be active in his kingdom, so he orchestrated a transport from Judah
to the new capital city of Jerusalem.
However, he made three mistakes in pursuit of God’s presence.
These same mistakes reveal three ruts that can affect our relationship with God:
Rut #1: Your Walk with God Becomes Efficient
David’s Lesson: “Don’t drive the ark; carry it.” (vv.
3–4, 12–13)
2 Samuel 6:3 — And
they carried the ark of God on a new cart and brought it out of the house of
Abinadab, which was on the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were
driving the new cart.
David’s first mistake was putting the Ark on a cart. Sounds
logical, right? If you need to move something heavy, use wheels. But God’s law
said the Ark should be carried on the shoulders of priests (See Numbers 7:9; 4:15).
Transporting the Ark was meant to be slow and reverent—not quick and efficient.
Efficiency is great for business, but terrible for
relationships. You don’t clock hours with your kids or rush through date night.
And you can’t skim a verse while brushing your teeth and call it Bible study.
If your faith feels stale, slow down.
By the way, where do you think David learned this trick? From
the Philistines, the enemies of God. In one of their early battles, the
Philistines saw how much the Israelites revered this Ark. So they stole the Ark
as a good luck charm and transported it as efficiently as possible (see 1
Samuel 4-6).
Transporting the Ark so carelessly had fatal consequences
for David. While they are transporting the ark, they hit a bumpy patch in the
road. Look at what happens:
2 Samuel 6:6–7 (ESV) — Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the
oxen stumbled. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God
struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of
God.
The transport stopped immediately. David left the Ark on
someone’s property who lived nearby, waited a few months, and tried again. When
David tried again, he did it right:
· They carried the Ark.
· They stopped every six steps to sacrifice.
How inefficient! How reverent! God’s presence isn’t found in
shortcuts—it’s found in abiding.
Practical Challenge: If you feel like your
relationship with God has lost it’s spark, try this.
First, start practicing the Three Key Spiritual Habits.
Second, if you already have these habits established in your
life, go slower.
· Take a long prayer walk.
· Journal your Bible reading.
· Engage at church, not just attend.
Rut #2: Your Worship Becomes Performative
David’s Lesson: “Don’t parade; worship.” (vv. 5, 13–15)
Check out the vibe during the first transport of the ark.
2 Samuel 6:5 (ESV) — And David and all the house of Israel were celebrating
before the Lord, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets
and cymbals.
The first attempt to move the Ark looked like a performance!
Five different instruments are mentioned, from strings to percussion. The Ark
is on a parade float. It was a show.
Ever caught yourself making a show of your faith? Spending
more time staging an Instagram post of your Bible than actually reading it?
If worship feels performative, here’s the fix:
· As said above, practice the big three: Bible, prayer, church engagement.
· Go slower.
· But I’m going to add a third step: practice listening to God.
Try going for a thirty-minute prayer walk. But try this
after a few minutes: Ask God something and then listen. Say something like, “God,
I don’t know what to do about _____. I ask the Holy Spirit to shape my thoughts
and emotions on this issue.”
Then listen. You might be surprised at what the Lord brings to mind.
On the second attempt, the music dropped from five
instruments to one sacred horn (see vs. 15). No parade. No performance. Just
worship.
Rut #3: Your Faith Becomes Obligatory
David’s Lesson: “Don’t act like a king; act like a
priest.” (vv. 13–23)
When the Ark finally arrived, David danced before the Lord
wearing a linen ephod—a priest’s garment. But Michal (his wife) was not happy
about it.
2 Samuel 6:20 — But Michal the daughter of Saul
came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel honored himself today,
uncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants’ female servants, as
one of the vulgar fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!”
There are two details we should notice here. First, Michal
isn’t called David’s wife – she is called Saul’s daughter. The narrator pairs
her up with Saul, not with David. Second, Michal is not upset at David’s indecent
exposure. She is upset that David has swapped his royal attire for an ephod; he
is dress like a priest, not a king.
And that is exactly what the Lord wanted from David. God
wanted him to change his attire and attitude: From a KING to a PRIEST.
Getting Out of the Rut
David learned the hard way that efficiency, performance, and
obligation don’t produce God’s presence. Only practicing spiritual disciplines
does. Slowness does. Reverence does. From this story of David and Ark of God,
we learn about:
Three Ruts that Hinder your Relationship with God
(1) Your walk with God becomes
efficient
(2) Your worship becomes
performative
(3) Your faith becomes obligatory
If you feel like your relationship with God is stuck in a
rut, start here:
· Practice the big three spiritual disciplines: Bible, prayer, church engagement.
· Slow down as you do so.
· Learn how to listen to God, not just talk.
Don’t settle for a rut. Return to the joy of God’s presence
in your life.