I don't think David planned to have an affair with Bathsheba,

become the father of her child,

and then eventually have her husband killed at war so that she could become his wife.

I don't think David realized that his sins would lead to great punishment for his people and the death of his new infant son.

Sometimes, though, we find ourselves in a big mess simply by being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I Chron. 20:1 says,

In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war,

Joab led out the armed forces.

He laid waste the land of the Ammonites and went to Rabbah and besieged it,

but David remained in Jerusalem.

David was the king. 

He should have been at war.

But because he stayed home while most men were gone,

he found himself wandering around on the rooftop of the palace one day, looking out over his city, and discovering a beautiful woman.

One thing led to another and before David knew it, he was penning a Psalm of repentance because Nathan had arrived and announced all of the wickedness David had done in God's sight.

Even though David wasn't where he was suppose to be, he quickly learned that God had been exactly where He was suppose to be all along.

See, God never left David even though David walked away from God.

In life, we're going to find ourselves wandering from time to time.

Sometimes our wandering can lead to little mistakes.

Other times it can lead to total disaster.

No matter where we end up, though, in these times of wanderings, one thing never changes.

God is still there.

We can run.

We can try to hide.

We can pretend He's too busy to notice.

We can even hope that somehow He'll look the other way.

But in the end, we'll always learn.

God never left us alone.

Night and day.

Good and bad.

He was there.

Today, I'm not sure where you're suppose to be.

But I hope you're in the right place.

At the right time.

If not, I hope you'll remember that you're not alone-

even in this season of wandering.

God is with you.

He is always where He is suppose to be.

And I'm so thankful.