What should you do when you’ve done all you can?
1 Samuel 27:1-7
Then David said to himself, “Now I will perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape into the land of the Philistines. Saul then will despair of searching for me anymore in all the territory of Israel, and I will escape from his hand.”
So David arose and crossed over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.
And David lived with Achish at Gath, he and his men, each with his household, even David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal’s widow. Now it was told Saul that David had fled to Gath, so he no longer searched for him.
Then David said to Achish, “If now I have found favor in your sight, let them give me a place in one of the cities in the country, that I may live there; for why should your servant live in the royal city with you?”
So Achish gave him Ziklag that day; therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day.
The number of days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a year and four months.
David was tired of being chased. After years of running from King Saul and with no indication that things would change, David began to despair. Though God had promised to prosper him, his trust faltered. Isn’t that how we feel sometimes? We know that God has promised good things for those who wait on Him and that every promise of His is “yes” in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20), but our faith, like David’s, wavers.
Israel’s future king assessed his options and chose the “best” one—to form an alliance with the godless Philistines. By moving from faith to human reasoning, David stepped out of the Lord’s will and joined with the enemies of God’s people. In doing so, he compromised the very thing to which he had committed himself—being Israel’s leader.
Fortunately, when you hit bottom as David did, there is a way back. Focusing on the Lord can lead you out of discouragement and into His presence. Confess your lack of faith, receive God’s forgiveness, and pledge to follow Him. Next, strengthen yourself in the Lord: Recall His past faithfulness, reflect upon His power, and remember His promises. Finally, resolve to trust God for the future, and ask His Holy Spirit for help. Won’t you walk upon the road that leads upward to the Father?
By Dr. Charles Stanley
Used by Permission
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