Never Give Up

David’s inspiring story reminds us that with obedience, perseverance, and trust in God, we can overcome any challenge and transition swiftly from our darkest days to our highest peaks.

Life can change in an instant. It is why we should never lose hope, no matter how hopeless a situation may seem. For we serve a God who is all-powerful, all-knowing, and ever-present. He has the power to deliver us, the information to direct us, and the reach to defend us. What we need is the faith to depend upon Him when we can’t see a positive outcome.

Life is Filled with Swift Transition

Hymnist Jennie B. Wilson penned, “Time is filled with swift transition.” Her words seem almost prophetic when we consider the events that shook America’s political landscape from the end of June to the end of July.

First, there was the June 27 presidential debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. The fallout from that debate led to calls from Democrat Party leaders for President Biden to step aside.

Then, there was the July 13 attempted assassination of former President Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, PA. Thankfully, he was not seriously injured, and, coming out of the Republican National Convention the following week, his reelection was beginning to look inevitable.

Finally, on July 21, President Biden announced that he was ending his reelection campaign and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democrat Party’s nominee. This all happened in less than four weeks.

David’s Journey from Tragedy to Triumph

David found himself in such a situation when, after having been rejected by the Philistine governing council from participating in their war against Israel, he returned to his home camp of Ziklag to find it burned to the ground, his family and those of his 600 fighters taken captive, and all their possessions plundered. One can only imagine what David and his men felt at that moment as they rummaged through the charred debris of their makeshift homes for any salvageable possessions and the bodies of their loved ones.

The situation soon escalated as David found himself the object of the projected heartache of his followers, who spoke of taking his life because they blamed him for their failure to protect their wives and children, let alone their property. But Scripture tells us that “David strengthened himself in the LORD his God” (1 Samuel 30:6).

David’s response to this most critical moment in his life cannot be understated. We know the outcome of the story because we have the record, but he had to live it without the knowledge of hindsight. This was the defining moment of David’s life—not the showdown with Goliath, nor his refusal to murder King Saul on two occasions, nor his desire to build God a temple—because it would lead to him becoming Israel’s king.

There are three lessons we can learn from David’s experience.

1. David Strengthened Himself in the Lord. Amidst the dirty looks, venomous speech, and uncertainty as to who committed this raid on his camp or which direction they may have gone, David made himself strong. He did this by seeking the Lord. We know this because the very next verse explains how David found his strength: he called for the priest to bring him the ephod by which he could ask the Lord for His divine direction (v. 7). The ephod was worn by the priest to inquire of God for what the nation should do.

David, who had failed to seek the Lord’s guidance regarding his interactions with the Philistines, recognized the previous error of his ways and asked the Lord two questions: “Shall I pursue this band? Shall I overtake them?” (v. 8). The Lord’s answer was “Yes” to both questions. David was to go after them, and he would find them. With this assurance from the Lord, David had the encouragement he needed to regain his strength.

We, too, sometimes find ourselves in unthinkable situations. We can allow the regrets from poor decisions to swallow us into a pit of deep despair, or we can seek the Lord to help us regain our strength. God is our Heavenly Father who forever lives to love on His children. We get it wrong from time to time, but He never stops loving us. He desires for us to recognize the error of our ways and to pursue Him with a broken heart and repentant spirit, knowing that even when we are unfaithful, He remains faithful. So, regain your strength by bringing God back into your decision-making.

2. David Obeyed the Lord. David didn’t stop after he inquired of the Lord as to what he should do; he followed the Lord’s instructions by pursuing the band of raiders. It was a matter of faith—and faith is trust. He was given the assurance that he needed from the Lord, but he had to demonstrate that he trusted Him; something he didn’t do when he hid amongst the Philistines.

So off David and his men went, and, only as God can do, they discovered an Egyptian who was left behind by the raiders. He supplied David with all the information he needed to launch a surprise attack and recover the people and property that was stolen, plus some. This only happened because David took God at His word and went after a band of raiders whom he did not know nor where they had gone.

We may not have an ephod like David to receive definitive “Yes” or “No” answers to our questions, but we do have the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that the Spirit will lead and guide us into all truth—certainly the truth about who Jesus is as well as any other truth that we need to know in life (John 16:13). Thus, we can ask God for direction and guidance during the Ziklag experiences in our life to help us make the right decisions.

However, it becomes incumbent upon us to follow the instruction of the Spirit because He knows what the outcome will be. It’s a matter of trust. Do we trust God to pursue the unknown, believing that the path He has sent us down will unfold His all-knowingness, all-powerfulness, and ever-presentness? If we do, then, like David, we will experience the benefits of obeying God.

3. David’s Faith and Obedience Resulted in Him Becoming King of Judah. David’s story didn’t end with Ziklag; it transitioned with Ziklag. What we discover in 1 Samuel 31 is that Saul and his three sons were killed during Israel’s battle against the Philistines. And in 2 Samuel chapters 1 and 2, David received Saul’s crown and was made king of Judah. If David didn’t strengthen himself during the most pressing crisis of his life, and if he didn’t obey the Lord’s instruction, he would not have become king—at least not at that moment.

First, his men were threatening to kill him. Second, even if they didn’t, they would have lost all confidence in his leadership, so he would not have had an army to lead. Finally, he would not have confiscated the additional spoils the Amalekites had gained from other raids, which he shared with the leaders of Judah—the first tribe to make him its king. Thus, the David we have come to love and celebrate today proved himself during his low point and not his high point by trusting in the Lord. As such, he learned that God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him (Heb. 11:6).

Very few, if any, of us will become a king like David, but God has some things in store for us that are going to require that we strengthen ourselves in and be obedient to the Lord during our low points. I have come to learn that we more emphatically experience God during our lows than we do our highs. The fact is, our highs are the result of our lows. For it is while we are in our darkest days that God reveals Himself to us in ways we would have never known had we not gone through what we did. So, we come to better appreciate that testimonies do not come without tests and praise does not come without pain. But thanks be to God who always causes us to triumph by Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 2:14).

Keep Fighting until You Win

David’s story teaches us that life can transition quickly. In a matter of weeks, he went from losing everything and nearly his life to becoming king. Had he given up at Ziklag, he would have never gained Judah. Let this be an important lesson in our life: never give up. As Maurette Brown Clark says, “It ain’t over until God says it’s over. Keep fighting until your victory is won.”

Dr. Isaac Hayes is an Assistant Pastor at the Apostolic Church of God in Chicago, Illinois, and author of Men After God’s Heart: 10 Principles of Brotherly Love. He also has a Doctor of Ministry degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Follow Dr. Hayes on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube at @RevIsaacHayes.