Now David had been told, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” So David prayed, “Lord, turn Ahithophel’s counsel into foolishness. (NIV)

The stakes could not have been higher as two highly respected advisors and masters of persuasion faced off. Being incredibly wise and experienced in palace politics, they understood that Absalom’s decision, David’s son, would dictate if his rebellion against King David would succeed or end in disaster.  

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On the one hand was Ahithophel, who had served David for years as an advisor. His betrayal of David had been a tremendous loss to David both politically and personally. On the other hand, was Hushai, a wise man who had the incredibly delicate job of passing information along to David. That was risky enough, but Hushai also looked right into Absalom’s face and argued why he should not attack David while he was weak and his supporters disorganized.  

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In what can only be described as a coup within a coup, Hushai won the debate! Instead of listening to Ahithophel and finishing David off, Absalom listened to Hushai. Being wise enough to see this decision would end disastrously for the uprising, Ahithophel immediately rode home, put his affairs in order, and hung himself. His foresight proved correct as David and his supporters put an end to the uprising.  

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This story from David’s life is one of his darkest moments, and yet his faith in God shines through very bright. What do we learn from this story?  

First, David turned to God in the middle of this volatile situation. He understood better than anyone just how precarious his position was. Not only had he been betrayed and completely surprised by Absalom, but his son was receiving counsel from Ahithophel. David put so much value in this one man that when he prayed, he prayed that God would turn Ahithophel’s counsel to foolishness. He didn’t ask for fire from heaven or for some misfortune to befall Absalom; he asked for God to give Ahithophel a dose of stupid.  

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That brings us to the second thing we can learn from this story. If you read carefully, God didn’t answer David’s prayer. 2 Samuel 17:13 says, “Absalom and all the men of Israel said, ‘The advice of Hushai the Arkite is better than that of Ahithophel.’ For the Lord had determined to frustrate the good advice of Ahithophel in order to bring disaster to Absalom.” Instead of making Ahithophel’s counsel foolish, God sent an even wiser man into the situation to sway Absalom. In other words, God heard David’s prayer and opted for a better solution. Even when God answers our prayer, he sometimes does so in ways that we don’t expect. And that’s ok.  

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When we are in the middle of trials, let’s be like David and rely on God in his wisdom to provide a solution. It may not always be the answer that we hoped for, but let’s trust that God knows everything and that he is working for the good of those who love him.  

God, I pray that we would turn to you and your wisdom when we find ourselves in our darkest moments, trusting you with every aspect of our lives. Amen.