1Samuel 30:1-30, “…But David encouraged himself in the Lord”
The challenge with life is that there are times you go through things thinking you are the only one. Then there are those times you are going through them with other people especially those who are looking up to you. In these times, you don’t need those who add more pressure to your life, but those who are there to help you ease your burden. That was not with David.
Under these terrible circumstances, David’s men were so angry at him that they conspired to stone him, their leader. The bible says ”we wrestle not against flesh and blood”, Ephesians 6:12, here we see men operating in the flesh, for one second, they had forgotten how good David was a leader to them and how they had won many victories through his leadership. They even forgot that God had seen them through thick and thin. This was not the first time they were facing challenges together. I am not surprised because even today men change their views and opinion about people when something bad hits. Have you ever been blamed for something simply because you were heading it?, I can imagine David’s men beginning to blame him for their predicaments. They could have sounded something like this, “it’s your fault we are in this mess, you are the reason we lost all; you should have listened to us when we told you it wouldn’t work; I knew that one day this thing will bring disaster but you never listened to me.”
It’s very easy to yield to the accusations and be a victim of despair simply because of what men see in you at a given time. Remember that they all wept together until there was no more strength left in them. Instead of embarking on a new plan as to what to do next, his men were making decision under pressure to get rid of their leader, making the situation worse than it already was. Be careful that you do not make decisions under anger, as Anger is just one word short for Danger. Many make quick decisions while angry and they mess things up big time when they should have made it better. Calm yourself down like David and begin to encourage yourself in the Lord, strengthen yourself in the Lord, speak peace. As long as everyone is hysterical, everything comes to a dead end but the moment one begins to have a clear mind, then he is in a position to channel others in the right direction. Encourage yourself in the word, prayer and reaching out to others in the same situation as you. The more you encourage, the more you will be encouraged. The more you charge someone else’ battery, the more yours will be charged. I have come to learn that sometimes when you are in the worst shape, God sends someone your way with situations similar to yours or even worse. And they don’t come to give, they come expecting to be given. That when you are discouraged, God sends someone your way for you to encourage them.
Because David encouraged himself in the Lord, he was now in a position to encourage his men who were making decision out of anger and frustrations. You cannot give out what you don’t have within. The bible says, “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks”, if you have abundant peace inside, you will speak peace outside; if you have abundance encouragement inside, you will speak the same. This is what I call, the outworking of the internal what David is teaching us today. When David encouraged himself and encouraged others, he was able to think through what he needs to do about their situation with a clear mind. To continue, blessings Ev
He Has Magnified His Word 