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 30:6 (NLT)

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Novels and movies work like this: “Things can’t get much worse.” Something really bad happens. “They just got worse.” That was David’s experience. 

His father-in-law was trying to kill him. David lived a vagabond life surrounded by men with less than sterling reputations. David allied himself with the enemies of his homeland. Those enemies/friends rejected him. 

And you think you’ve got problems.

Then, while he was away preparing to go to war with his enemies against his own people, his small town was raided. Everyone’s family members and possessions were carried away. This is where novels and movies have a character utter, “Could this day get any worse?”

It got worse. “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.”

This was not the kind of stoning involving medical marijuana. This was the kind involving heavy rocks thrown like baseballs by several hundred people at a time. 

This is where in novels and movies a person has to decide who he is and who he will be going forward. It is called The Mirror Moment because the main character often stares at himself or herself in a mirror while deciding what to do next. 

What happened when David looked inside himself? “But David found strength in the LORD his God.” 

There are reserves in our souls we do not know are there until we need them most. It is in those moments when we come to the end of ourselves that we discover God is able to abundantly, infinitely do more than we might ask or imagine (Eph. 3:20). In the worst moment of his life so far, “David found strength in the LORD his God.”

Are you at the end of your rope? Have you walked as far as this pier leads? Do you find yourself feeling like you cannot take one more step, make one more decision, or overcome one more setback? The good news is you probably cannot. The better news is God can. 

One of the best, most memorable experiences of my life was working hard for weeks to launch a new church in a resort town in Michigan only to have no one show up at our first worship service. Our small team was tired and irritable. We had been fighting and allowing small irritations to grow into big ones. 

Staring out the windows of the building where we met at the beautiful lake and delightful small town settled around it, I realized I had done all I could do. Long story short, we circled up, prayed, confessed our aggravations to one another, and made peace. While the tears were still in our eyes, the door opened. A woman tentatively stepped inside and asked, “Is this where the church meets?”

How would you describe your situation right now? Hopeless? Helpless? Clueless? You may have reached the end of your rope and tied a knot, but you are running out of strength fast. Now is a good time to go to God and ask him to do infinitely more than anything you might ask or think. 

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I will encourage myself in the Lord my God.

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Our Father, you are better to me than I would be to myself. You are more and better than we can imagine. You provide better than we ask. Your reserves are never threatened. We need you. Do now what only you can take credit for, what only you can make happen. We will sing your praise. We will give you thanks. We will tell of your goodness. Amen.