1 SAMUEL 30:1-4

1. DAVID STRENGTHENED HIMSELF IN THE LORD: V6:
1. David had not only his grief to contend with, but he had an uprising on his hands. He was being blamed for the disaster and his men were ticked! "Stone him! He's to blame!" But while others sought to unleash their hostility toward David, he strengthened himself in the Lord. That means, simply stated, he was restored to vitality, he was sustained and encouraged and invigorated; he was made bold by his faith in God.
2. David wasn't some super-dude; he wasn't in any way superhuman. Notice from the text:
1. He grieved and wept himself to weariness just as did the others.
2. But he refused to succumb or be a victim of the circumstances or a prisoner to panic!
3. He turned to the Lord in confidence and hope. David's first inclination was to do that. Listen to his words:
1. Psalms 27:1 (NASB) "The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?"
2. Psalms 142:1-3 (NIV) "I cry aloud to the LORD; I lift up my voice to the LORD for mercy. I pour out my complaint before him; before him I tell my trouble. When my spirit grows faint within me, it is You who know my way."
3. When in the throes of tragedy, when in the center of calamity, don't make the mistake of turning to things that can only compound your catastrophe! Don't turn to the bottle or to illicit drugs or other addictive substances or escape mechanisms. Turn your heart and mind and prayer to God, Who can help you when no other help is to be found!
4. Herbert Lord, a missionary in Korea teaches us how to strengthen ourselves in the Lord. A North Korean soldier had captured him, and said, "In one hand I have a Bible. In the other I have a gun. As a Communist, I despise your God. Pray to Him to tell you which hand holds the Bible and which holds the gun. If the answer is wrong, I shall shoot you." Herbert Lord knelt and prayed. In a moment or so, the guard asked, "Has your God told you which hand holds the Bible?" "I did not ask Him for that" the man of God said. "Then, what did you pray for?" "For two things. I prayed to God to help me keep my temper, and I asked Him to give me strength to die decently." The soldier's face contorted in anger, but he lowered the pistol and turned to walk away. That's strengthening yourself in the Lord.

2. DAVID SOUGHT GUIDANCE FROM THE LORD: V8:
1. "Shall I go chase this band of kidnappers? Will I overtake them?" That's a prayer I've been praying for our President as he determines whether or not to go to war with Iraq. Let me encourage you to pray that for him, too. But David prayed that. He didn't just follow the dictates of his emotions! He didn't allow anger, a desire for revenge; or fear for the safety of his loved ones to dictate his course of action. He didn't allow his men to decide what he'd do.
2. Others may seek guidance from other sources, some of them whacko like TV Psychics, Horoscopes, and Ouija boards. King Saul sought counsel from a witch medium. We learn that it was that folly that was to cost him his life later (see 1 Chronicles 10:13). Sometimes we seek counsel from our peers or our own instincts. But David turned to the Lord in an orthodox and faithful manner. He prayed. He asked guidance. He sought God's counsel.
3. In our catastrophic moments we ought to take a page out of David's book. Pray before you act. Look to God before you leap. Don't react in a knee-jerk fashion, respond in a knee-bending fashion in prayer. Listen to this advice: "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind." James 1:5-6 (NIV).
4. Sometimes in life, when we are facing problems, and don't know what to do, we feel like we in an airplane flying in a thick bank of clouds. We can't see the wing tips; we can't see what's ahead; we feel "antsy" and uncertain. The pilot, however, is receiving guidance by electronic signal from the ground. Though his eyes can't see what's ahead, he knows where he's flying the plane. There have been instances where ground guidance has been lost and planes have crashed into each other or into a mountain. David was facing a dilemma and he didn't want to be flying around in a cloud without being sure where he was to go or what he was to do, so he sought guidance from the Lord.

3. DAVID SHOWED SYMPATHY TO THE WEAK AND WORN: VV10-12, 24:
1. David showed compassion and sympathy by:
1. Allowing the 200 who were faint to remain behind while he and the 400 went on to chase the Amalekites. He did not ridicule or cajole or rebuke the tired ones.
2. Stopping to help the Egyptian who had been abandoned and left to die. This might have been a decoy or a trap. Stopping to help would mean a delay in their mission. Besides they didn't know him or owe him anything.
3. Even including those who stayed home in the spoils of battle.
2. What has this to do with recovering from catastrophe? Much! Many, in times of trouble, become self-centered, self-pitying and self-focused. They become irritable, cranky, and absorbed with their own problems. They want deliverance for themselves and they want it right now! They throw a tantrum if things don't please them! They make matters worse with their petulant attitudes.
3. But it is always a step to recovery from our own catastrophe to assist others in theirs. It is always a step to solving our own problems to help someone else solve or cope with theirs!
1. Often we make our suffering worse by concentrating on it; take your eyes off self, and onto others, and your own pain will diminish. Focusing on the problems of others helps put our own in perspective. Og Mandino wrote, "Today upon a bus, I saw a lovely girl, I envied her: she seemed so happy. And I wished I were as fair. And then, suddenly, she rose to leave, and I saw her hobble down the aisle. She had one leg and wore a crutch, but as she passed, a smile. Oh God, forgive me when I whine, I have two legs, I am blessed indeed. The world is mine. Later, walking down the street, I saw a man with eyes of blue. But he just stood and watched the others play. So, I stopped a moment and then I said, "Why don't you join the others, sir?" But he looked ahead without a word. And then I knew he could not hear. Oh God, forgive me when I whine, I have two ears, I am blessed indeed. The world is mine. And later, I stopped to buy some sweets, The lad who sold them had such charm, I talked with him. If I were late, it would do no harm. But as I turned to go, he said to me, 'I thank you sir. You've been so kind. It's nice to talk to folks like you. You see,' he said, 'I am blind.' Oh God, forgive me when I whine, I have two eyes, I am blessed indeed. The world is mine. With legs to take me where I want to go, with ears to hear the things I need to know, with eyes to watch that radiant sunset glow. Oh God, forgive me when I whine, I am blessed indeed! The world is mine!"
2. What goes around comes around. You give help, help will come to you; show mercy and mercy will come your way; be gracious and someone will be gracious to you.
3. Loneliness is mitigated by visiting the lonely; depression is lightened by encouraging the depressed; weakness is diminished by helping the weak. I don't know how that works, I just know it does! It's a spiritual principle: "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Luke 6:38 (NIV).
4. You can begin to recover from catastrophe when you help someone else recover!
4. Let me illustrate helping the weak and weary. General Lafayette of France, helped General Washington when the American colonies were fighting for their freedom. In 1824 he visited America. An old soldier went up to him and asked if he remembered him. Lafayette didn't. He asked if Lafayette remembered the cold winters of Valley Forge. "I shall never forget, them," answered Lafayette. The soldier continued, "One bitterly cold night, when you were going the rounds, you came upon a sentry who was slowly freezing to death. You took his gun and sent him to your own hut where he found clothes, a blanket and a fire. You told him to warm himself and then to bring the blanket to you. Meanwhile you kept guard for that sentry. When the soldier returned to you, you cut the blanket in two pieces. One piece you kept. You gave the other part to the sentry!" Tears ran down the checks of the old soldier as he said, "General, here is that half of the blanket. I am the sentry whose life you saved!" The General had shown sympathy and mercy to the weak and weary and saved his life.

Perhaps you are worn, weak and weary. He Whose heart is kind beyond all others bids you come to Him for sympathy, solace, strength and peace. He will give you rest for your soul. He calls you to His grace, to His mercy, to His power, to His strength. Jesus wants to help you recover from your catastrophe and in return you should desire to serve Him. He has given life to you. Heartaches, broken pieces, ruined lives can be made whole and sound again. Come to Jesus; let Him love you, let Him help you, and in return, commit your life to serve Him.

Illustrations from Kiwanis Magazine, Daily Bread and Knight's Books of Illustrations

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