Strength

 April 18, 2024

Where do you turn when everything turns against you? Life often does just that; a friend believes a lie about you and decides he doesn’t want to be your friend anymore, your company downsizes you out of a job, someone with connections got the promotion or scholarship you deserved, instead of going away, your health issues just keep getting worse, your significant other finds someone else.

There are countless ways we can get blindsided by life; the question is, where do we turn when it happens? Alcohol? Drugs? Mindless surfing the web? Promiscuity? A hobby, counselor or therapist? Maybe you just go to bed and sleep the days away.

David had thought his family and the families of the men with him were safe in Ziklag while the men were out raiding, but enemies from across the border sacked the village and carried away all the women and children. We pick up the story in I Samuel 30:6.

 “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.”

We aren’t told exactly how David strengthened himself in the Lord; only that he did so. I think it’s good that there are no details; how David did so is probably different than how you or I do so. The important thing is, when life takes a turn for the worse, that you turn to the Lord. In him, and only in him, is found the strength you need for the difficulty you face.