“David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, for all the people were embittered, each one because of his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God” 1 Samuel 30:6

It doesn’t get much worse than this. The town where David and his fighting men were living had been raided, their families were taken captive, everything had been burned, and David’s own men—his closest allies—had turned against him.

“David was greatly distressed.” This was deep anguish, not mild stress. He suffered the loss of family, loss of home, and loss of leadership support.

“The people spoke of stoning him.” David experienced betrayal at the deepest level. His loyal warriors wanted him dead. Leadership is most dangerous when things go wrong.

“But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.” What exactly does that mean? Likely David remembered God’s faithfulness, found reassurance in God’s promises, prayed honestly, and refocused his trust. As he stated, recorded in Psalm 42:5, “Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence.”

The key lesson for us is that we must also learn to strengthen ourselves in Yahweh when crisis threatens to overwhelm us. We cannot allow crisis to dictate direction. We must build a history with God before the time of crisis. David had been walking with God, and knew God’s character. He could turn to God in crisis because he had been in relationship with Him previous to the crisis.

In a time of crisis, stability flows from our inner life. David’s men collapsed emotionally, but David stabilized spiritually. We cannot always control our circumstances, but we can choose where we go for strength.

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