Real Hope: Discovering Hope in the Life of DavidSample

David Strengthens Himself In The Lord

1 Samuel 30 tells us that the Amalekites had made a raid on Ziklag and had burned it and taken the women and children captive. When King David with his army arrived, everyone was grieved and soon turned on him, appearing to blame him for the tragedy. Whatever their reason, they wanted to stone him. ‘But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.’

But how do you go about strengthening or encouraging yourself in the Lord when everything is crashing in upon you? The Bible doesn’t tell us how David strengthened himself, but David had grown a relationship with God since childhood.

From the days of leading sheep there was a prayer life of complete dependency. His prayer life was his place of coming to rest in Someone bigger and, in Psalm 18:1–6, he wrote of how he strengthened himself at another time of turmoil in his life when God rescued him from his enemies.

‘David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.’ This was the very strength of the living God manifesting itself in the life and heart of a broken man. God was David’s strength in brokenness, repentance, and resolve to reclaim what the enemy had taken. The ability to persevere in the face of adversity and getting through the tough times, comes from strengthening yourself daily. Resilience develops and grows over time as we develop our relationship and trust in God – the One who is so much bigger than the problems we face.

Written by HEIDI WYSMAN

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