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"Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God."
(1 Samuel 30:6)
God has taken me back to this scene in David's life multiple times over the last several days. David was on the run from King Saul. The King of Israel was a madman relentlessly pursuing David, a man after God's heart who was destined to be the next King of Israel. David and his men came back to their temporary home in Ziklag only to discover that all their families had been kidnapped and their possessions stolen. His men were extremely bitter and blamed David, their leader, for their misfortune. David learned quickly that when you lead, you bleed. When things do not work out or calamity strikes, the first human reaction is to get angry, then bitter, and eventually blame. Someone needs to pay for the difficulty. In our story today from 1 Samuel 30, the man to blame was David.
Have you ever felt this way? You are trying to do the right and noble thing, but circumstances and oppositions work against you and things turn out rather horribly? In those times, you quickly discover who your real friends are and who your enemies are. I feel sorry for David. He was suffering the loss of his family and possessions, but he had no time to grieve, because the angry eyes of his men were staring a hole through him. And the look in their eyes was not one of compassion and understanding but revenge. What do you and I do when we find ourselves in a similar situation?
I love what David did. He did not complain or present his case to his offended men. Rather, he took his dilemma to the LORD in prayer. The Bible says he strengthened himself in the LORD. The Hebrew word translated "strengthened" is hazaq, which means to fortify, find courage, and prevail. In my mind, here is how I think David did this: I think he got alone, away from the hostile, volatile situation. He most likely poured out his heart in prayer to God, telling Him all about his precarious and dangerous situation, and asking for the Lord's help. I think David cried out to God and said something like, "God, these guys want to kill me; please preserve my life, and strengthen me to do the right thing."
God heard David and delivered him from all his fears. Guess what? He will do the same for you and me if we find our strength in Him. Leaning on our own understanding is like leaning against a feather. It will not hold us up. But leaning on Jesus in tough times is like learning on a massive boulder. He is the Rock of Ages, and He will always be there for us, never leaving or forsaking us, but strengthening and empowering us.
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