Find Strength in God

1 Samuel 30:1 David and his men reached Ziklag on the third day. Now the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it, 2 and had taken captive the women and all who were in it, both young and old. They killed none of them, but carried them off as they went on their way. 3 When David and his men came to 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.

Persecution is one of the perils of following Jesus. In fact, our Savior taught the disciples to consider themselves blessed when they were persecuted for the cause of righteousness (Matthew 5:10). Paul informed Timothy that one of the barometers of godly living was persecution (2 Timothy 3:12). Most of us expect to be persecuted by enemies or those who make it perfectly clear that they don’t care for us. But what happens when persecution comes from those we endear? Have you ever been slandered by individuals you considered close to your heart?



David had this experience with his army. Four hundred men who were in debt, distressed, and discontented had gathered around him. He took these men and formed his army (I Samuel 22:2). When they returned home in I Samuel 30, they found that Ziglag had been invaded, burned with fire, and their families taken captive (I Samuel 30:1-3). David was devastated because their possessions were destroyed and the families of Ziglag (to include his own) were being held hostage (I Samuel 30:4). But to add insult to injury, his men blamed him! In fact, they contemplated stoning him to death! (I Samuel 30:6) Thank God for the latter part of verse 6: “…But David found strength in the Lord his God.” Only through The Lord was David able to recollect himself, seek God, and reclaim everything the enemy had stolen, to include their families (I Samuel 30).



All of us have individuals in our lives that we endear and regard with high esteem. There are those that we can’t fathom turning their backs on us, especially during our times of distress or moments of need. But the ONLY Person we can bank on is God. And if family, friends, and loved ones turn their backs on us, we can be rest assured that God will be right there.



The exhortation today is to thank God for His Faithfulness.



Let’s Pray:
“Father, thank You for being there for us when nobody else will, in Jesus’ Name, amen.”



Daily Prayer:
“Oh, that You would bless me indeed,
and enlarge my territory,
that Your hand would be with me,
and that You would keep me from evil,
that I may not cause pain!”



The Prayer of Jabez, I Chronicles 4:10