1 Samuel 30
1. Then it happened when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had made a raid on the Negev and on Ziklag, and had overthrown Ziklag and burned it with fire;
2. and they took captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great, without killing anyone, and carried them off and went their way.
3. When David and his men came to the city, behold, it was burned with fire, and their wives and their sons and their daughters had been taken captive.
4. Then David and the people who were with him lifted their voices and wept until there was no strength in them to weep.
5. Now David's two wives had been taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite.
6. Moreover David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, for all the people were embittered, each one because of his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.
7. Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, "Please bring me the ephod." So Abiathar brought the ephod to David.
8. David inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall I pursue this band? Shall I overtake them?" And He said to him, "Pursue, for you will surely overtake them, and you will surely rescue all."
9. So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those left behind remained.
10. But David pursued, he and four hundred men, for two hundred who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor remained behind.
11. Now they found an Egyptian in the field and brought him to David, and gave him bread and he ate, and they provided him water to drink.
12. They gave him a piece of fig cake and two clusters of raisins, and he ate; then his spirit revived. For he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights.
13. David said to him, "To whom do you belong? And where are you from?" And he said, "I am a young man of Egypt, a servant of an Amalekite; and my master left me behind when I fell sick three days ago.
14. "We made a raid on the Negev of the Cherethites, and on that which belongs to Judah, and on the Negev of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag with fire."
15. Then David said to him, "Will you bring me down to this band?" And he said, "Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring you down to this band."
16. When he had brought him down, behold, they were spread over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing because of all the great spoil that they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah.
17. David slaughtered them from the twilight until the evening of the next day; and not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled.
18. So David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and rescued his two wives.
19. But nothing of theirs was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that they had taken for themselves; David brought it all back.
20. So David had captured all the sheep and the cattle which the people drove ahead of the other livestock, and they said, "This is David's spoil."
Most of us know how it feels to be “on the bottom looking up.” Despair is a horrible condition because it continually feeds on discouragement, hopelessness, and failure. You see, the longer you abide in these things, the greater your despair will grow. And despair, in turn, will cause you to feel even worse. The only way out is to break free from this vicious cycle of darkness.
How can we strengthen ourselves in times of despair? It is essential that we meet this challenge head-on. That is, we will never accidentally fall out of despair; rather, we must set our minds toward overcoming it.
We do this by first repenting of anything that has caused us to lose faith in God. If we’re in despair, then something has overshadowed God in our lives. We must remove that barrier immediately.
Then, recall past blessings. Every believer has a powerful testimony of being saved from darkness into light. God has the power to save you from sin, and He has the power to overcome your despair.
Next, we must remember that our lives do not happen by chance. Instead, God has a clear plan for each of His children. (Jeremiah 29:11) He has promised to work all things for the good of those who love Him, and He is strong enough to keep His word. (Romans 8:28)
Despair stands in conflict with the abundant life that God has promised. If you feel “on the bottom,” take charge of your despair and allow God to lift you back up today. |