KINGS AND QUEENS: David at the End of His Rope I Samuel 30:1-6 NLT Three days later, when David and his men arrived home at their town of Ziklag, they found that the Amalekites had made a raid into the Negev and Ziklag; they had crushed Ziklag and burned it to the ground. 2 They had carried off the women and children and everyone else but without killing anyone. 3 When David and his men saw the ruins and realized what had happened to their families, 4 they wept until they could weep no more. 5 David’s two wives, Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel, were among those captured. 6 David was now in great danger because all his men were very bitter about losing their sons and daughters, and they began to talk of stoning him. But David found strength in the Lord his God. • Saul began his reign with such promise, yet failed miserably and ended tragically. We will learn that even David—the man after God’s own heart—would also have his faults. Reminds us that God works through broken and flawed human beings. Psalm 103:14 NLT “He knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust.” • God knows that we are dust, and to refine that dust, He allows us to go through trials and troubles that serve as a forge to shape us into something useful for His holy purposes. • Such was the case with David. God chose a shepherd boy and made him into a king. True kings, like all true men and women of God, are not just born; they are made. From the time Samuel anointed David to be king until he ascended the throne, David endured 15 years of hardship and disappointment. Let’s recount some of those experiences: After a series of disappointments, hardships, and harrowing escapes from Saul’s murderous attempts on his life, David and his men come to Ziklag and find it sacked and burned, their goods stolen, and their wives and children kidnapped by the Amalekites. His men are so demoralized they talk of stoning David. • This is the lowest moment in David’s life to this point—the culmination of a series of lows. • What happens next is pivotal in David’s story and in redemption history, and it is full of life lessons for us. “But David found in the Lord his God” (v6). Other translations: “David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.” The lesson for us: When things go from bad to worse. When you lose everything. When your best friends turn against you. When it seems your life is over. When there’s nobody left to encourage you … Learn to encourage yourself your God! How did he encourage himself? What exactly did he do? (Wish the author had given us the specifics.) But we can discover what David did by studying his life and his writings. I don’t think he followed some predetermined formula. (Step one, step two, step three.) But I do believe there are a few components in what he did, that if we will do them, we can find encouragement in our darkest moments: • He found a place to be with God. • He poured out his fear and frustration to God. Psalm 142:1-4 NLT I cry out to the Lord; I plead for the Lord’s mercy. 2 I pour out my complaints before him and tell him all my troubles. 3 When I am overwhelmed, you alone know the way I should turn. Wherever I go, my enemies have set traps for me. 4 I look for someone to come and help me, but no one gives me a passing thought! No one will help me; no one cares a bit what happens to me. • **He remembered God’s faithfulness in the **. Psalm 77:1-2, 11-12 NLT I cry out to God; yes, I shout. Oh, that God would listen to me! 2 When I was in deep trouble, I searched for the Lord. All night long I prayed, with hands lifted toward heaven, but my soul was not comforted. 11 But then I recall all you have done, O Lord; I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago. 12 They are constantly in my thoughts. I cannot stop thinking about your mighty works. • He began God for His faithfulness. Psalm 77:13-15 NLT O God, your ways are holy. Is there any god as mighty as you? 14 You are the God of great wonders! You demonstrate your awesome power among the nations. 15 By your strong arm, you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. • He remembered the in God’s word. Psalm 18:30 NLT God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection. Psalm 71:22 NLT Then I will praise you with music on the harp, because you are faithful to your promises, O my God. I will sing praises to you with a lyre, O Holy One of Israel. Ps 91:4 NLT He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. Psalm 106:12 NLT Then his people believed his promises. Then they sang his praise. Psalm 145:13-21 NLT For your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. You rule throughout all generations. The Lord always keeps his promises; he is gracious in all he does.* 14 The Lord helps the fallen and lifts those bent beneath their loads. 15 The eyes of all look to you in hope; you give them their food as they need it. 16 When you open your hand, you satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing. 17 The Lord is righteous in everything he does; he is filled with kindness. 18 The Lord is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him in truth. 19 He grants the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cries for help and rescues them. 20 The Lord protects all those who love him, but he destroys the wicked. 21 I will praise the Lord, and may everyone on earth bless his holy name forever and ever. His courage returned. He was strengthened in the Lord his God. • He found a praying man to give him counsel. 1 Samuel 30:7-8 NLT Then he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring me the ephod!” So Abiathar brought it. 8 Then David asked the Lord, “Should I chase after this band of raiders? Will I catch them?” And the Lord told him, “Yes, go after them. You will surely recover everything that was taken from you!” Though many of his men spoke of stoning him, there were a few who remained loyal. It really is never as bad as it seems. You can always find someone who can agree with you in prayer and offer godly counsel. “God will not leave Himself without a witness.” David was crowned King of Judah … 3 Chapters after Ziklag! 2 Samuel 2:4 NLT Then the men of Judah came to David and anointed him king over the people of Judah. Three chapters after the Ziklag incident, David becomes King. What a difference a day can make! What if David had given up at Ziklag? What if he had abandoned his faith? Given up on God? Decided to end it all? The Lesson for us: It’s always to quit. “Never give up! Never surrender!” —Winston Churchill “Greater is he that is than he that is in the world. And, this is the victory that overcomes the world—even our faith.” — The Apostle John “We are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.”—The Apostle Paul “In this world, you will have tribulation. But be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.” —Jesus