David was a master war strategist before and after he became king. In 1 Samuel 30 we see one of the reasons why. In this incident, we also learn how to discover and boost the God-given talent, ministry, or gift we possess. Let’s see behind the scenes of David’s greatness before he would be king. Perhaps this insight will help us as we enter a new year of spiritual challenges.
After three days David and his men of war had returned to their city and found it looted and their families carried off (vv. 1-3). What did David do? He prayed for wisdom and waited on the Lord until he received direction (vv. 6-8).
That was his master strategy in a nutshell. That was the secret of his military success. Let the Lord lead.
This explains why he attributed his strength and help to the Lord so often in the Psalms. David pointed to the Lord as the source of strength and safety.
“O Lord my God, in you do I take refuge; save me from all my pursuers and deliver me” (Psalm 7:1).
“Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with the saving might of his right hand” (Psalm 20:6).
“Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” (Psalm 27:14).
These are the words of the man mighty in battle. What words does the world want us to say? “Believe in yourself.” Phrases like these are the wiles of the devil who seeks to destroy what you have with Jesus.
In our world, we extol the merits of the rich and powerful. Yet David saw himself as helpless, in sore need of God’s help. Paul the apostle did the same, choosing to boast in God’s deliverance when he let the brethren lower him down in a basket outside the city wall to escape his pursuers (2 Cor. 11:30-33). Jesus promises that His strength is made perfect in our weakness (2 Cor. 12:9).
David, when he was seeking safety from King Saul, identified with a multi-faceted Lord, a God who was sufficient for his many needs. He penned many such variegated statements of faith in the Psalms. Here is just one example where the names he gave God served him in so many ways:
“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold” (Psalm 18:2).
Unfortunately, we have whittled God down to an attribute or two, like saying that “God is love” as though that is all He is. Then we get confused over a situation and ask, “If God is love, then why…?” In the end, that perception of God was not big enough to cover everything.
Truly, we have a greater position in God’s eyes than David did. Satan doesn’t want us to know this. He rules over the world, and uses it to stuff our minds with nonsense to distract us from learning this truth. How have you been distracted from the Lord lately?
We who have believed God for salvation have been placed in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). In that place, we are more secure than David with his rock of refuge. We have received a better righteous standing in Christ than David ever held (2 Cor. 5:19). In Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col. 2:3), and we have access to it all by prayer and the Word. We carry that treasure in these pots of clay we call our bodies (2 Cor. 4:6). We may ask for wisdom regarding the Lord’s will and receive it (James 1:5). Where we believe what He says, we can receive it.
The secret of David’s success is ours: having a heart committed to God’s use, and yielded to His service (Rom. 6:13). David’s work was to engage in battle the enemies in the land of Canaan until it was rid of its enemies. Our aim is similar—to rid this body of its sinful enemies until we love the Lord with all the heart, soul, mind, and strength. Christ came to save us from our sins (Matthew 1:21), and He expects us to partner in that work until we own Him as Savior in spirit and truth.
David prayed for direction against the enemies of the Lord, and when he had the commandment and kept it, God gave him the victory (1 Samuel 30:8, 16-19). God is still speaking to those who wait on Him.
Jesus said that to those who have His commandment and keep it, He will reveal Himself to them (John 14:21). He will reveal His wisdom and His presence, and they will follow through with understanding and strength. They will stand against sin.
Our bodies are the dwelling place of God. He is ever near us. He is the great I AM who is ever becoming to us all we need for eternal life—notice above the names of God David used that reflected his need at the time. Again, how have you been distracted from this God lately? In strengthening your faith, list the many attributes that He can place at your service in faith as you carry out His will. What do need today? What’s in your spiritual wallet?
While David waited on the Lord, “he strengthened himself in the Lord his God” (1 Samuel 30:6). While his men were overcome by their grief and were thinking of killing David, he was refreshing his faith by remembering past battles won through the Lord’s aid. Perhaps he was writing out a psalm of faith about the rock of his salvation. We can use some of his psalms to strengthen ourselves this coming year!
We are told that those who “wait on the Lord will renew their strength” (Isaiah 40:30). This principle is still true as the day it was written. Let’s encourage ourselves with the strong Rock on which our salvation rests. We are in Christ Jesus and His Spirit is in us. That’s a firm foundation that cannot be moved.
We too can strengthen ourselves “in the Lord,” as we are “in Christ.” When we were saved, we were placed in Christ. We have been blessed “with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). Because we are in Christ, we have these blessings:
He forgives all (Ephesians 1:7)
Nothing separates us from His love (Romans 8:38-39).
He does not condemn us (Romans 8:1)
He accepts us (Ephesians 1:6).
He gives us eternal life (Romans 6:23)
He imputed to us the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21)
He leads us in triumph (2 Corinthians 2:14)
And many more. Look for “in Christ” and “in Him” verses as you read Paul’s epistles. You have more than enough blessings to strengthen yourself. Ours is a full salvation in Christ. When we are participating in His work, which is to conform us into the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29), then these blessings will be all the more precious to us.
If you are distressed, take time to remind yourself of your heavenly blessings. Get up and plant your feet on the Rock. Preach to yourself the good news of God’s love. Strengthen your faith by getting your eyes off of yourself and your situation. The Sovereign God overrules all.
