Our Weekly Devotionals

Missing God in distressing times

 

It is easy to “see” or “hear” God when times are good, but what about in the most difficult times, when things are going bad, the emotions swirling, people mocking – “where is your God” – and then you start to feel angry at God – that he should have protected you, but it seems he LET YOU DOWN!

David experienced it. Here is a “crazy” story at the climax of David’s road to kingship.

When David and his men reached Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep.  David’s two wives had been captured—Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God. 1 Samuel 30: 3-6 (NIV).

As a summary of this story: David had been anointed to be king by the Prophet Samuel, he had then slain Goliath, BUT things didn’t get better. They actually GOT WORSE. King Saul, who David was to replace remained King for many years after David’s anointing and he even wanted to kill David so much that David fled and ended up in Ziklag. In Ziklag, when he had gone off to war, an enemy struck and thus the verses above show that everything David loved came crushing down. His wives taken, his city burned (so he lost everything) and now his friends (the men) wanted to kill him, as if blaming him for the loss!

David could have been angry – “God I am anointed to be king, but WHY didn’t you warn me that Ziklag was going to be burnt?” “Why did you let me go to battle and leave our wives and children here?” “Why are these men not grateful for all I have done for them, and instead they want to kill me?”

Instead the scriptures say – “But David found strength in the Lord his God.”

Faithfulness to God is the quality of sticking to God, even when it doesn’t make sense. Even when you are walking through the valley of the shadow of death and you just can’t make sense of it.

Faithfulness is your knowledge of God built up from years reading his word and seeing his promises come to pass such that when distressed and angry [even at him], you cling to him, no matter what.

Many Christians today miss the mark because they don’t have enough experience with God – in both good times and BAD times, so they don’t know how to be faithful, like David. If you want to remain faithful, despite the circumstances, then like David you have only one thing to do – spend time in the Bible so you can strengthen yourself in the Lord. When you do, you won’t miss seeing God, even in the darkest valley of death for even there, when no one sees him, you will see him, BRIGHT as day!