Give Up or Pursue?

My husband and I just returned from a beautiful time of drawing close to God at the Thanksgiving conference at Calvary Pentecostal Tabernacle Camp in Ashland, VA.  The worship experiences were amazing, and we gained new insights from the Bible.  We also renewed our commitment to make Jesus first in our daily lives.

Since I’ve been doing children’s ministry for years, I especially enjoy Bible teaching on people in the Bible.  Although I have taught on the life of David at various times, today I heard about one of his experiences from a new perspective.  Pastor Jane Louder spoke about the story that is recorded in 1 Samuel 30.

David and his men returned home to find that their enemies had burned down their whole town.  None of their possessions or members of their families were anywhere to be found. They were devastated and wept bitterly.  Some of them even started to blame David and threatened to stone him to death.

David could have given up.  But in spite of his grief and the raw emotions of losing his wives, children, house, and friends, he strengthened himself in the Lord.  He must have turned his bitter thoughts toward God, realizing that God, who had taken care of him through thick and thin in the past, would not desert him now.  After he regained his spiritual perspective of hope and trust in the Lord, he inquired of the Lord.  He wanted to know what God wanted him to do.

David did not give into fear about the strong enemies who had attacked, nor about those from his own company who wanted to kill him.  He heard from God, who told him to pursue the enemies.  God promised that he would overtake them, and he believed God.  He did not sit back and wait to see what would happen.  He gathered his men, except for 200 who were too weak to go on, and went after the enemy.  God led him to the right person at the right time – the person who led him to the enemy.  As the enemy celebrated all the spoils they had taken (including the families of the men with David), God gave David the strategy of waiting until evening to attack.  The battle was not easy.  They had to fight for 24 hours.  But God gave the victory!  Everyone and everything that had been taken was restored.

How about us? When the worst of the situations of life come against us and we face great losses,  will we give up or pursue?  We must strengthen ourselves in the Lord and inquire of Him.  He will build us up and give us directions so that we can pursue His will in the situation. As we step out in faith to obey what He shows us, He will lead us on to victory and blessings.  God is so good!  We have much to thank Him for.