David, the former hero of his nation, now the leader of a rag-tag group of rebels, enemies of the very nation God had anointed him to rule, was choking with grief for his family which had been abducted and greatly upset by the threats of his own men to kill him because they had lost their families too.. He was in an impossible situation. “But David found strength in the Lord His God.” How did he do that? And more important, how can you?
1 Samuel 30:3-6 says:
3 When David and his men reached Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. 4 So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. 5 David’s two wives had been captured—Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 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.
But David turned to the one greater than his circumstances: God.
How did David “strengthen himself in the Lord?”
The scripture that reveals this story (1 Samuel 21- 31) doesn’t tell us everything David did to strengthen himself in the Lord. It does say David asked God what to do and then David did it!
David had been crying, he was grieving and greatly distressed because his own men wanted to kill him – blaming him for the loss of their families. David didn’t just sit there. His first action was to ask God what to do. God told him. Then David did what God said to do.
That is when everything changed for David – when he strengthened himself in the Lord. Not only did David and his soldiers get their families back, but Saul died fighting the Philistines and shortly thereafter, when David was 30 years old, he became King of Israel.
Activation
You may be enduring a dark night of the soul when your life seems to be falling apart. Jesus warned us that we would have times like this. ““I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33 NIV
“Take heart” here means to be encouraged, to have hope, because Jesus has overcome our enemy and our world.
1. The first step to overcome whatever you are facing is: “Put your hope in God.”
In our worst times, our emotions can go all over the place: angry, afraid, grieving, depressed, offended, numb or disconnected, etc. Hope is our anchor. If we pull up the anchor, the storm may crash us on the rocks of desperation, discouragement and depression. We need to strengthen ourselves by anchoring ourselves to hope in God.
Psalm 42:11 NASB
Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
Psalm 42:11 NLT
Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Savior and my God!
David rejected discouragement, sadness, and other negative emotions. He determined to put his hope in God. We can too.
2. Ask God for help and ask God what to do.
Once your hope is restored, Like David in Samuel 30:7, immediately turn to God and ask Him what you can do. Then do what God shows you to do.
Ask God what action steps you can take to help yourself in your situation.
3. Renew Your Mind With God’s Promise of Hope
In the middle of a serious problem, we can focus on the problem, talking about it, obsessing over it so it grows bigger in our minds and hearts than God. Renew your mind with scripture about the greatness of God. And watch your problem shrink.
Romans 15:13 NKJV
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
We were born for hope, joy, and peace.
Our hope, or lack of it, is the direct result of what we believe.
When our circumstances become greater in our mind than our God, we lose hope. We fall into fear, discouragement.
Sow these scriptures in your mind and reap hope and faith in God:
Psalm 126:5
For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.
In John 16:33, Jesus warned, “You will have trouble in this world. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Lamentations 3:22-23 NIV
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
2 Corinthians 4:17
For our light and momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory that is far beyond comparison.
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Isaiah 40:31
But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.