The Importance of Encouragement

The Importance of Encouragement 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. 1 Samuel 30 v 6 The Amalekites had invaded Judah and routed the town of Ziklag, burning it down and taking the women and children captive. David, the old hero of Israel who had defeated Goliath, was distressed. His feat of yore was forgotten. The people thought of stoning him, blaming him for their sad plight. There was no one and nothing in the circumstances to encourage him or give him hope of recovery of his esteem, of his lost wives, of the people who were taken captive and of the gold and treasures they had taken away as spoils. The uni-verse concludes by saying that despite the reverses suffered by his kingdom, David encouraged himself in the Lord his God. Our attitude and reaction when we suffer reverses in fortunes should be similar. We should encourage ourselves in the Lord our God. The Lord will give courage, strength, guidance and resources to overcome the situation. We can encourage ourselves in the Lord by remembering how in the past He had delivered, restored and protected us in a variety of life threatening circumstances, losses, threats of dishonour and in adversity where people turned against us. When my boss, the then Superintendent of Police told me a couple of days before the Human bomb blast at Sriperumbudur, “ Your God cannot save you when disaster strikes”, I encouraged myself by remembering how He had saved me from a watery grave in the sea two years before that event. Today, I constantly remember with gratitude and praise how He had delivered me from so terrible a death in Sriperumbudur. Though David was distressed as he was discredited in front of Israel and two of his wives were also taken captive, the fact that he encouraged himself enabled him to seek what he should do. He sought the leading of the Lord who asked him to pursue the marauding Amalekites. The Lord gave him His word of confirmation that surely “he would overtake them and recover all.” David implicity believed in God’ s Word and direction. So he proceeded with just 400 soldiers after the Amalekites. En route, they chanced upon an Egyptian slave of an Amalekite who had been left behind by his master as he had fallen sick. The slave agreed to lead David and his men to the camp of the Amalekites. The rest is biblical history for David and his 400 men routed the Amalekites and recovered the women, the sons, the cattle, the treasures that had been taken away by the invading Amalekites. It happened as David though distressed at what had happened in Ziklag, encouraged himself in the Lord. When we encourage ourselves in the Lord, He will give us hope against hope and lead us to such total victory. Prateep V Philip