David was in trouble. A fierce enemy is threatening his nation, his friend
Jonathan is going to die, and David's own family has been kidnapped. His men
have turned against him, and his possessions have been plundered and burned
(1 Samuel 30).
Then we come to this incredible verse-1 Samuel 30:6: "Now David was greatly
distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the
people was grieved....But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God."
We must learn the art of strengthening ourselves in the Lord our God to have
spiritual victory. Do you know how to encourage yourself when there's no one
around to do it for you? It requires a trio of spiritual disciplines:
talking to the Lord, listening to the Lord, and talking to yourself.
Talking to the Lord
The book of Psalms is full of examples of those who took their burdens to
the Lord and left them there. The writer of Psalm 61 prayed, "Hear my cry, O
God; attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when
my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I."
Most of us are too prone to run to another set of ears to cry and complain
to, when we should learn to first run to our Lord. His ears are always open.
Listening to the Lord
We must also learn to listen to the Lord and to trust what He tells us. Many
of us by nature are anxious people, prone to weep and worry, and all too
easy to panic. In such moments, learn to close the door, open your Bible,
and ask God to give you just the verse needed for the crisis.
One man, deeply disturbed by a family problem, decided to look up the word
"calm" in various translations of the Bible.
He calms the storm. (Psalm 107:29)
"You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then He got up and rebuked the
winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. (Matthew 8:26, NIV)
Calm down, and learn that I am God! All nations on earth will honor me. The
Lord All-Powerful is with us. The God of Jacob is our fortress. (Psalm
46:10-11, CEV)
Pause, and calmly think of that! (Psalm 46:11, AB)
The man left his "prayer closet" a different person? He was learning to
strengthen himself in the Lord.
We can also strengthen ourselves through reading the writings of others.
Sometimes the Lord puts just the right books into our hands. It's a good
idea to collect a little library of Christian books and devotional classics
that you can turn to in times of need.
Talking to Yourself
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote: "Most of your unhappiness in life is due to
the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself.
Take those thoughts that come to you the moment you wake up in the morning.
You have not originated them, but they start talking to you, they bring back
the problems of yesterday."
"You have to take yourself in hand.address yourself, preach to
yourself...say to your soul, 'Why are you cast down, O my soul?' And then
you must go on to remind yourself of God."
Sing to yourself. God has used music many times in my life to encourage me.
I have a hymnal right by my Bible on my desk.
Do you know how to strengthen yourself in the Lord when there's no Jonathan
to do it for you? Do you know how to sing to yourself, to talk and preach to
yourself? Talk to Him, listen to Him, then talk to yourself in word and
song, remembering His great faithfulness.
And by and by, instead of saying like the author of Psalm 42, "Why are you
cast down, O my soul?" you'll be saying like the author of Psalm 103: "Bless
the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!"
Useful link: www.DavidJeremiah.org
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