Devotional: Dark Times

DEVOTIONALS…Dark times?

6 David was now in great trouble, because his men were all very bitter about losing their children, and they were threatening to stone him; but the Lord his God gave him courage. (I Sam. 30:6 GNT)

Have you ever just had one of those days…weeks, months, years, lifetimes when things just seemed to get worse the harder you worked to make them better? Things were looking very dark for David in this passage of scripture. The back story is this: David’s enemies the Amalekites had attacked his hometown while he and his men were out on patrol. The Amalekites burned the city and took all the women and children captive and rode off into the sunset. 

David’s 600 soldiers, who had been so faithful to him and trusted his leadership up to this point, now were in deep grief and despair to see their homes burnt and their families missing. They turned on their leader blaming him for the crises. If David was such a great leader why did he not see this coming, why not leave behind a small army to protect the town and families? 

What is your first response in difficult times? Life is filled with moments of crises, dark seasons, difficulties and impossibilities. What is your first response when you crash into one of these? David could have tried to defend his actions to the men, he could have run away, he could have tried to persuade the men that their real enemy was the Amalekites not him. 

David was not just a good leader he was a good follower of a good God. David asked God what he should do. When we suddenly face a crisis, we immediately go into shock. Our thoughts are clouded, our fears rise to the surface. Even the brightest and best of us are hard pressed to make good decisions in the middle of a crisis. David was willing to do whatever God required. If God had told him to step aside and let someone else lead, he would have done that, but instead God encouraged him to go after the enemy and all the people would be saved. David’s first response to dark times was to reach out to God. 

 

When we face dark times, it is not only difficult for us but it is also difficult on those who love us and follow us. It is hard on our spouse, our children, our friends, our co-workers. How we respond to difficulties we face will have a huge impact on many lives. David allowed God to encourage him and he obeyed God. As a result David got back everything his enemy had stolen. 

Read the entire story: I Samuel 30:1-20) 

 

Journal:

What is your first response in difficult times? In the last crisis you faced what might have gone differently if you had responded as David did?