As a person on a faith journey, I can learn so much from Bible characters. David is one of them. David was a king and a leader of the army. Once, he was going through a tough time, and we read, ‘But David encouraged (strengthened) himself in the Lord his God’ (1 Samuel 30:6).
I can relate to this verse because sometimes life backs up on you and you find yourself caught between a rock and a hard place. This makes things difficult enough, but add to that an unsupportive regime and even outright hostility from unexpected quarters, and you begin to get near the situation where David found himself. When David wrote this, all his men had turned on him and blamed him solely for their situation. Thankfully, David’s confidence was based on God, not man. His strength was found in God.
I’ve been giving that much thought, and I’ve decided on three things that I believe David would have done in this situation because he took them in other situations.
In times of discouragement, David took refuge in God. Psalm 57, Verse 1 says, ‘Be merciful to me, oh God, for my soul trusts in You and in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge until these calamities have passed me by’. David penned this psalm as he fled from King Saul and took refuge in the cave of Adullam.
David called God his refuge, his fortress, his hiding place. David spent time in God’s presence. God gave him physical hiding places, and He has given us physical hiding places, too. So, hide yourself in God’s word. Hide yourself in prayer; hide yourself among God’s people. Hide yourself in praise and worship. All these places will bring you comfort and release.
In times of discouragement, David remembered that God had always worked things out for the good … eventually. David trusted God continually for good outcomes. He remembered not to get in a muddle in the middle. When you find yourself in the middle of something, remember this is temporary. Don’t throw your confidence away. You wouldn’t throw away your train ticket just because the train stopped in a tunnel, would you? Moments are always transitional. They always pass, so keep hanging on and remember you can reach out to God!
I’m not sure where you are on your journey ─ or if you have faith. What I’ve learned, though, is that if you trust Him, he’ll come through for you, as He did for David.
In times of discouragement, David remembered what God had already brought him through. When David faced Goliath, he found great strength and encouragement by remembering his past experiences ─ that is, he had fought with lions and bears. He said, ‘He who has delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me once again from this giant’. Remembering his personal history strengthened David to go forward with God.
I personally practise these three steps whenever I find myself discouraged. In my experience, being discouraged is normally a consequence of my losing focus. I’ve usually taken my eyes off God. Discouragement is often a by-product of distraction.
If you’re in a place of discouragement, why not take a leaf from David’s book, as I do? Nelson Mandela said, ‘Once a person has decided to help themselves, there is no stopping them!’
Alan
Alan Hamilton is a traveling Elim minister based in Scotland. A former addict, he served for many years as the pastor of Gateway Church in Ammanford, South Wales. Alan is also a gifted teacher and a regular speaker at our Fixed conference.