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Sandy's Devotional

Feb 08, 2021 • By Sandy Shoshani

DEVOTIONAL:

David and his men reached Ziklag on the third day. Now the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it, and had taken captive the women and everyone else in it, both young and old. They killed none of them, but carried them off as they went on their way. When David and his men reached Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. David’s two wives had been captured—Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God. Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelek, “Bring me the ephod.” Abiathar brought it to him, and David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?”“Pursue them,” he answered. “You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue.” (I Samuel 30:1-8)

 Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. (Psalm 103:2-6)

David and his men have just returned from a long, three day journey after the Philistines, among whom they’d lived, rejected them. They must have expected to finally get home to their families and relax, but instead they find their town destroyed and their families gone. Even David’s family had been taken.  His men turned against him in anger and frustration. This was a very low point in David’s life - his reputation was in the mud, his family taken, his team wanted to kill him.  BUT DAVID. BUT is a big word – instead of giving up hope, or looking for something or someone else to comfort him and soothe him, David turned to God. He chose/decided to SEEK God, to push through his discouragement and exhaustion. He didn’t say to himself, “I don’t have the strength to pray.” He pursued the strength that only comes from the nearness of God. David sought HIS LORD AND HIS GOD, His personal Saviour. In Psalm 42, David says “As the deer pants for the water brook, so my soul pants for you, oh Lord. My soul thirsts for God, the living God. Where can I go and meet with God? My tears have been my food day and night… but I remember as I pour out my soul how I used to go to the house of God and rest under the protection of the Mighty One.. Why are you cast down, my soul?... Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him.”

 Sometimes, discouragement can cause us to forget all that God has done for us and lose hope. Let’s remember David’s example and call to mind the grace and mercy that God has shown us, the good things that He done for us and promised so that we don’t lose heart and grow weary. Let’s come to Him to drink for He satisfies the weary soul and refreshes all who drink from His wellspring.