Whether you are in need of spiritual strength, emotional strength, material strength, or physical strength, God has it and He wants to help you take hold of it.
In 1 Samuel 30, David is on the run from King Saul. Saul has been trying to kill David, and David and his men are living in the city of Ziklag in the land of the Philistines.
Periodically, David and his men go on campaigns to fight against the enemies of Israel. One day as they are returning home, they see smoke rising in the distance.
They hurry back and find out that, sure enough, Ziklag had been completely ransacked. Their loved ones, wives, and children had been kidnapped and taken into slavery by a group of Amalekites. The buildings had been burned to the ground. There was nothing left.
It’s hard to get your mind around what it must have felt like for David and his men in that moment when all was in ruins. As if one day you arrive home from work to see that your house has burned to the ground, and human traffickers have kidnapped your family.
You would feel completely numb and shocked. Human traffickers? My children? My spouse? That’s what David and his men came back to at the city of Ziklag.
We pick up the story in 1 Samuel 30:6,
“Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.” (NKJV)
Verse 4 says that “the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep.” And then everyone turns on David. They unjustly accuse him of being responsible for this tragedy. So now David has not only lost everything he owns, but he is about to be stoned.
Yet, we read that “David strengthened himself in the LORD.”
Other translations say David “found strength in the LORD;” he “felt the LORD giving him strength;” he “drew strength from the LORD.” The point is that David was perplexed. He was fatigued. He was unjustly blamed and sorrowful. How did he find strength?
In Isaiah 27:5, God says,
“Let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace with Me; and he shall make peace with Me.”
David took hold of God’s strength. The question is how? Perhaps David reminded himself of past victories. Maybe he prayed. Perhaps he worshiped. Maybe he considered God’s faithful character or the strength of God’s promises. We don’t know specifically what David did. We only know that at this critical time, he found strength—and you can as well. You can take hold of God’s strength.
We know from Psalm 29:11 that:
“The LORD will give strength to His people; the LORD will bless His people with peace.”
And Psalm 46:1 tells us that:
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
Maybe you are in the midst of a crisis right now. Maybe you are feeling heartbroken or perplexed, or you are facing unjust accusations. Whatever season you are in, know that God has strength for you.
