Read the Bible in One Year: OT – 1 Samuel 30-31 NT – Luke 13:23-35
1 Samuel 30:6 – David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God.
God is rich in mercy and grace, and is willing to be found by those who truly seek Him.
While David and his men were to the north trying to join the Philistine army, their own city of Ziklag was unguarded. The opportunistic Amalekites took advantage of the defenseless city, attacked it and burned it with fire. Not only was the city burned, but all their women and children were taken away.
There is a touch of the LORD’s poetic justice in all this. David brought this exact calamity on other cities (1 Samuel 27:8-11). The Bible says during his time among the Philistines, David made his living as a bandit, robbing cities and whenever David attacked the land, he left neither man nor woman alive. The Amalekites were more merciful than David was.
David was in a dark place in his life. All was lost. At this point, David had nothing more to support him. No one in Israel could help him. The Philistines didn’t want him. His family was gone; all he owned was gone. Even his friends turned against him. Every support was gone, except the LORD. That is a good place to be in, not a bad place.
It took a lot to bring David to this place, but now he is here – God is his only strength. Why would God strengthen this backslidden and wayward David? Because God is rich in mercy and grace, and because David was now completely broken, ready to be filled. Before this, he did not see himself as needy, he felt confident in himself, not really seeking the Lord. But coming back to the burnt down, ghost town, with all gone, was the last straw.
David now knew he was weak and needed strength. David did not wait for someone else to strengthen him. He knew his strength came from the Lord. He knew that the Lord’s strength was there for those who wait upon Him, who earnestly seek (Jeremiah 29:13-14). This was more than a positive attitude. This was the strength of the living God making itself real in the life and heart of a hurting man.
David strengthened himself in the Lord by remembering.
David remembered God’s love: He saw God’s love in the rejection by the Philistine leaders. If he had not been rejected by them, it would have been months before he returned home, and things would have been far worse.
David remembered God’s promises and calling: He choose to remind himself that he was an anointed man of God, with a high calling. He was the promised next king of Israel.
David remembered God’s deliverance in the past: God had delivered him from various difficult situations in the past, including the Philistine giant, Goliath. The God who was faithful then would deliver him now too.
Sometimes God brings us to that place when all we can do is to cling on to Him. It is when we are broken and empty that He can fill us. We like David have a choice to make – to give in and allow the difficult situations to overwhelm us or to seek, cling to and strengthen ourselves in the Lord. May we like David, choose to remember God’s love, promises and calling and His deliverances in our lives. Our God who was found by David, is the same yesterday, today and forever. May we choose to strengthen ourselves in the God of Angel Armies today and experience His rich mercy and grace.
Ponder
When you find yourself in a difficult situation, do you tend to seek strength and support from external sources or from within yourself? How might your experience change if you turned to God for strength during those times?
Are there areas of your life where you struggle to fully rely on God’s strength, choosing instead to rely on your own abilities or other people? How can you surrender those areas to God and seek His support?
Take a moment to reflect on the unchanging nature of God’s mercy and grace. How does this truth encourage you in your current circumstances and give you hope for the future?
Preethi Jacob is the author of the yearlong devotional At the Potter’s Wheel, Day by Day. Her journey includes teaching a Bible Study Fellowship class, teaching and leading the Sunday School ministry in her church, leading Bible studies, besides counselling young women. She serves on the Global Mission Team of the United Bible Societies and lives in Bangalore, India with her husband and two young adult children.
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