He Encouraged Himself

“And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.” I Samuel 30:6

In this passage, we find David at one of the lowest points of his life. He had been exiled from home and hunted by his father-in-law, the king of Israel. He had dodged javelins, hidden in caves, and lived the life of a double agent in the land of the Philistines. He narrowly escaped having to go to battle against his fellow countrymen because of the jealousy and distrust of the Philistine captains. He returned home to find that his city where he found refuge had been invaded and burned to the ground. His family and the families of his men were all kidnapped. The fighters who had followed him faithfully for many months were now speaking of stoning him to death. Sounds like a bad day, doesn’t it? David is at the point where many have given up and some have even taken their own lives. But what did David do? He encouraged himself in the Lord. He took the initiative to encourage himself. He did not wait for someone to come alongside and tell him that everything was going to be OK. He did not defend himself against criticism, argue with his soldiers, or lash out at those who were speaking against him. When he sought to encourage himself, he turned to the Lord. No matter how bad things may seem, we can always encourage ourselves in the love of God. Take heart. God loves you!