Read: 1 Samuel 30
In 1 Samuel 30, David and his men, having been rejected in their bid to fight with Achish for the Philistines, return to Ziklag. Upon arrival they discover the city has been taken by the Amalekites and burned. Their wives and children had been taken captive and all of their possessions looted. In verse 4, the Bible says they lifted up their voices and wept until they had no more power to weep.
It didn’t take long for their grief to become rage. They became angry, not at the Amalekites, but at David their leader, and even began to speak of stoning him. In verse 6, we see that David was greatly distressed by the attitude of the people toward him, and by their grief for their lost loved ones.
But verse 6 also shows us why David was a leader. Facing the same grief they did, and more, David turned to the Lord. He sought comfort from God, encouraging himself in the one who had always preserved and protected him. He then sought the Lord’s will concerning the next step. God instructed David to follow after the Amalekites and recover the lost family members and goods. David did so, and God blessed, enabling them to snatch victory from the jaws of an apparently crushing defeat.
No matter your station, there is a lesson to be learned. God allows trials and difficulties into our lives not to destroy us, but to strengthen us. David faced difficulties from without and within, yet he did not abandon himself to despair. He turned to the only true source of strength, comfort and wisdom. As a result, David learned again his dependence on God, a dependence that would serve him well as King of Israel.
For everyone, troubles, trials, burdens and problems are part of life. For the Christian, they are like huge neon signs flashing out a single message, “PRAY, PRAY, PRAY”.
Just a servant,
Bro. Tom
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