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BY STEVE BURKE

Have you ever been certain of exactly what you needed? Israel was certain that it needed a king. In the people's minds, a good leader would fix everything. God told them they'd regret it, but then appointed Saul as their first king.

In 1 Samuel 15:34-16:13, we see Saul rejected and David anointed. When I catalogued the lives of each, it was surprising how many common failings I found. Yet David retained God's favor in spite of his sin.

In 1 Chronicles 10, we are told Saul was unfaithful to the Lord, he didn't keep the word of the Lord and he looked for guidance from other places than the Lord. Evidently, Saul didn't think his biggest need was God's active presence. God assessed his life as unfaithful, disobedient and misguided. That's a sad epitaph for Israel's first king.

King David spent considerable effort returning the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, erecting a tabernacle around it, and later, planning for a permanent temple. These activities provided a central, public display of God's presence in Israel, a reminder to the people who they really served. It wasn't David the king, but David's God who they were to look to for help and salvation. Unlike Saul, David understood his place in God's order. He was a man who paid attention to the Center. And that focus is what set David's heart above Saul's.

Some of the best advice I ever received came as I was about to bring a morning message. A friend said, "Just give them Jesus – that's all they need."

That phrase has come back to me over the years in many circumstances. It has helped me re-focus when I get tied up in the details of ministry or relationships or activities. It's caused me to throw away lessons and start again because there wasn't enough of Jesus in them. That idea is here in David's life too – giving the people a view of God, and not of himself as king. He knew that if they could see God's glory, they'd have what they really needed.

I wish it was as simple as putting up a tent in my living room to remind me of the centrality of Christ. In our fast paced, over-committed living, it's easy to go for hours or days with only a meager idea of the sufficiency of Christ in the circumstances of this moment.

Christ is all I need, but I forget. I can't forget my eyeglasses, because nothing is in focus. But when it comes to life, I can wander all over the place in a spiritual blur and still not remember that what I need most is simply Jesus.

I need to hear Jesus say "neither do I condemn you," when I've sinned. I need to hear him say, "I will always be with you," when I'm in the doctor's office. I need to hear him say, "My yoke is easy," when the job seems too big. I need to hear him say, "I am the resurrection," when a loved one is slipping away. These are words that point my spiritual eyes to that tabernacle of his presence and everything starts to come back into focus. He's all we need.

Steve Burke is a Certified Lay Minister who serves Jackson Chapel UMC in Frederick where he leads worship, teaches or preaches, as needs arise.