1 Samuel 30:1-6, Psalm 56:3-4, Proverbs 3:5-6, Matthew 6:32-33

Jeff Cutts exhorts us to turn to God in our difficulties.

Jeff Cutts

We all face difficulties in life, but if we keep our eyes on God we can overcome them. We have a choice, to allow grief and bitterness to conquer, to fall into despair and quit, or to find our strength in the Lord.

How can we find strength in God and not lose heart?

There was a time in the story of David that he faced the loss of everything and his life was in danger. In response, David strengthened himself in the Lord and was able to survive his ordeal and recover what was taken. He was also able to discover God's deeper purposes for his life.

'...when David and his men arrived home at their town they found that the Amalekites...burned it to the ground. They had carried off the women and children and everyone else...When David and his men saw the ruins and realised what had happened to their families, they wept until they could weep no more. David's two wives...were among those captured. David was now in great danger because all his men were very bitter about losing their sons and daughters, and they began to talk of stoning him. But David found strength in the Lord his God.' (1 Samuel 30:1-6)

David lost just as much as those around him. He had the clothes he stood in, but everything else had been taken from him or destroyed. There was one thing that could not be taken from him though; the enemy could not take his relationship with God.

This is the starting point. David was able to strengthen himself in the Lord because he had a personal relationship with God. If we have this relationship with God, then we can find our strength in Him too.

David wrote songs and many of his lyrics are recorded in the Psalms. We can glimpse his thoughts and prayers in these. Psalm 56 is an example of a song written after a difficult time, 'But when I am afraid I will put my trust in you. I praise God for what He has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?'

David probably didn't feel like singing when he lost everything, but I'm sure he did anyway. If we praise Father God for who He is and what He has done for us, then our focus shifts from the size of the problem to the size of our God. God does not change when we praise Him, but our perspective changes and our perspective determines whether we are encouraged or discouraged. So praise God and be encouraged!

Then David asked God what he should do. As well as getting things in perspective we can ask the Lord for guidance in our difficulties. These may be related to family, relationships, or other personal things. Our jobs, our studies and finances can be difficult. We can tackle our problems alone and leave God out of the picture, or we can ask God for direction.

Choose to pray about everything. Ask for guidance from our heavenly Father and follow that guidance. You will find your strength in the Lord.

To strengthen ourselves in God we can remind ourselves of what the Bible says about His promises and then choose to believe Him and apply those truths to our situation. So find those promises in your Bible!

'Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.' (Proverbs 3:5-6)

'Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.' (Matthew 6:32-33)

May we trust our Father God and find our strength today.