Read: 1 Samuel 30:1-10
David strengthened himself in the LORD his God. (v. 6)
For spring break one year, my family had a three-day window to travel. Immediately, our 5:00 a.m. flight was delayed for several hours by mechanical problems, and then problem after problem followed. Ultimately, we did not arrive at our final destination until after midnight. We spent two fatigued days in Georgia with my family, and, as you might be able to guess, encountered another onslaught of problems upon return. We eventually arrived home three days late, by rental car. Bad things have a tendency to pile up.
By the time that David and his men returned, battle-weary, to their families in Ziklag, the city had been utterly destroyed and emptied of women and children. A great cry of distress arose from the men amidst the silent, smoldering city. They wept so vigorously that they had no strength left. To add insult to injury, the men were then ready to stone David in their bitter grief over their lost families. Hardship piled upon hardship for David, yet he found his strength in God.
In our personal distresses and devastations, we would love nothing more than to take it out on someone else or find somewhere to place the blame. Lashing out is instinctive, just like it was for the weeping warriors. However, “after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you” (1 Peter 5:10). Always, we find our strength in God.
As you pray, allow God to handle your hardship.
About the Author
Katy Sundararajan is a specialized minister in the Reformed Church in America. She has garnered her pastoral perspectives from posts as a college chaplain, a missionary, an international student advisor, and a higher education and leadership ministries program coordinator.
