What To Do

In your Christian walk have you ever been so discouraged and weary and worn out because of some circumstances or situations that are beyond your control that you just felt helpless?  It seems like life is just getting harder and harder and Christians are being the ones that are targeted for more persecution and harassment; more than any other religion.  What do you do in these times when no one seems to have the answer to the dilemma that you are facing?  Do you look for someone to blame or do you get angry and sit around pouting, feeling sorry for yourself, having a pity party, what do you do?  

Many of us in the United States have no idea what hard times or persecution is really like compared to those that live in other countries that face difficulties and severe persecution daily.  Many times we allow little irritations to become big agitations and before we know it we blow things way out of proportion and we end up stewing in our anger and that is one of the reasons why there are so many divorces in the church and so much anger and bitterness towards one another.  Don’t get me wrong, there are things that we have no control over that devastate us at times and just seem to wear us down and discourage us.  Let me say it again, what do you do when you find yourself in these dilemmas?

Think about Job, for instance, he didn’t curse God but he did seem to have a pity party.  Read the book of Job and I think you may agree with me but there is another example I want to share with you from the Word and that is in 1 Samuel chapter 27 though chapter 30.  At the time David was running from Saul who was trying to kill him and he lived among the Philistines.

Read 1 Samuel 27:1-7, “And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul shall despair of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand. And David arose, and he passed over with the six hundred men that were with him unto Achish, the son of Maoch, king of Gath. And David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, even David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal's wife. And it was told Saul that David was fled to Gath: and he sought no more again for him. And David said unto Achish, If I have now found grace in thine eyes, let them give me a place in some town in the country, that I may dwell there: for why should thy servant dwell in the royal city with thee? Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day: wherefore Ziklag pertaineth unto the kings of Judah unto this day. And the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was a full year and four months.”

As time went on the Princes of the Philistines didn’t trust David and they told Achish to tell David to leave, read 29:6-11, “Then Achish called David, and said unto him, Surely, as the Lord liveth, thou hast been upright, and thy going out and thy coming in with me in the host is good in my sight: for I have not found evil in thee since the day of thy coming unto me unto this day: nevertheless the lords favour thee not. Wherefore now return, and go in peace, that thou displease not the lords of the Philistines. And David said unto Achish, But what have I done? and what hast thou found in thy servant so long as I have been with thee unto this day, that I may not go fight against the enemies of my lord the king? And Achish answered and said to David, I know that thou art good in my sight, as an angel of God: notwithstanding the princes of the Philistines have said, He shall not go up with us to the battle. Wherefore now rise up early in the morning with thy master's servants that are come with thee: and as soon as ye be up early in the morning, and have light, depart. So David and his men rose up early to depart in the morning, to return into the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.”

Now read 30:1-5, “And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire; and had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way. So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives. Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep. And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.”

Then David’s men spoke of stoning him because the soul of all the people was grieved.  At the time they needed what you might call a scapegoat, someone to blame; think about it, this happens all the time we like to pass the buck, so to speak, and not take any of the blame ourselves.  But in our situations, we should do what David did in the situation he found himself in.  This is what he did, read 30:6-20, “And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God. And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David. And David enquired at the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all. So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind stayed. But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred abode behind, which were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor. And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water; and they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him: for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights. And David said unto him, to whom belongest thou? and whence art thou? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days agone I fell sick. We made an invasion upon the south of the Cherethites, and upon the coast which belongeth to Judah, and upon the south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire. And David said to him, Canst thou bring me down to this company? And he said, Swear unto me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee down to this company. And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad upon all the earth, eating and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah. And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode upon camels, and fled. And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives. And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that they had taken to them: David recovered all. And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drave before those other cattle, and said, This is David's spoil.”

No matter what you are going through God is the one who you need to call on.  David’s situation looked impossible, but nothing is impossible for God, what we need to do is trust Him and seek Him for the answer.  Sometimes just like Job’s situation it may not happen overnight but regardless of what happens we need to take it to God first!!  Something to think about and have a super day and may God bless you and yours!!