Have you ever experienced the pain of defeat?
Maybe your relationships are affected.
Perhaps your career or finances feel attacked.
The truth is that we all will endure some capacity of frustration in our lives. King David understood this on a personal level and lived as an example of how we, too, can encourage ourselves when life falls short.
King David and the Act of Defeat
“Now it happened, when David and his men came to Ziklag, on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the South and Ziklag, attacked Ziklag and burned it with fire, and had taken captive the women and those who were there, from small to great; they did not kill anyone, but carried them away and went their way. So David and his men came to the city, and there is was, burned with fire; and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive. Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep. And David’s two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had been taken captive. Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. Then David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, ‘Please bring the ephod here to me.’ And Abiathar brought the ephod to David. So David inquired of the Lord, saying, ‘Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?’ And He answered him, ‘Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.’”
1 Samuel 30:1-8, NKJV
David, a young man of seventeen, has done the unthinkable: he has killed Goliath. On his way back home, as the armies of Israel march back into the city, women line the streets to celebrate David. Now, King Saul finds his heart infested with jealousy and, on several occasions, seeks to kill David. (This is shocking because David is his beloved servant! He played the harp for him and took the victory in the battle with the Philistines for him!)
Shortly after, David leaves his family and runs away to escape. He happens upon a cave and, unbeknownst to him, finds a group of reject men—they are disappointed, distressed, and in debt. These are some troubled guys.
David befriends these men, and eventually, they ask him to become their leader. Under David’s leadership, these men acquire jobs in the Philistine army. This is peculiar because David just murdered the leader of the Philistine army, Goliath. As the army prepares for another battle with the Israelite army, the general inspects his soldiers and finds David and his followers, immediately dismissing them. So they leave and return to the city of Ziklag.
When they arrive, they are shocked to find that the Amalekites have invaded their city, kidnapped their children and wives, and then burned their city down. These men were devastated and began to weep. (You know, it is a tough situation when grown men cry until there are no tears to cry!)
Sometimes, life has a way of dealing you a hand you aren’t sure how to handle. In turn, you are left feeling discouraged and defeated, which bleeds into every other aspect of life. David was no stranger to this.
David found himself in a pit of discouragement. But instead of staying there, he learned to encourage himself. Together, let’s explore David’s model of spiritual encouragement.
How to Encourage Yourself When Life Knocks You Down
Speak To Yourself (vs. 6)
“Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.”
1 Samuel 30:7, NKJV
What is an ephod?
When a priest would perform his priestly duties, he would place a garment over his robes. It would hang over the shoulders and fall past his waist. And while David acknowledged he wasn’t a priest, he carried the priestly responsibility of praying for himself.
Be like David and put on your ephod. You don’t need a pastor to pray for yourself; Christ has given you the anointing to approach the throne of God! Guard your heart with the words of scripture and have the mentality of being self-sufficient in your prayer life.
You have authority, access, and the ability to pray over your circumstances.
Pray (vs. 8)
“So David inquired of the Lord, saying, ‘Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?’ And He answered him, ‘Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.’”
1 Samuel 30:8, NKJV
Saints, be encouraged; everything the devil stole from you, God is about to return to you.
You will get your marriage back.
You will get your children back.
You will get your joy back.
You will get your life back.
Joel 2:25-26, NKJV says, “So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust as eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust, my great army which I sent among you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the nae of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you; and my people shall never be put to shame.”
What a mighty, just, and faithful God we have that makes good on the words He has spoken!
If you find yourself in a debilitating situation, remember to encourage yourself. For God dwells in those He loves, and He will empower you, like David, to remember and lift your eyes to where your help comes from.
Church, be encouraged.
For more on encouraging yourself, check out Pastor John K. Jenkins Sr.’s sermon, Encourage Yourself.
