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The Day
That Finds You | |
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Friendly| There’s the day that finds you in despair. You don’t know what to do. You’re despairing what to do. You’re not in the sunshine now; you’re in the
shadows. You don’t know what things are going to turn out like, what you may
have to forbear: but you do know this: you can’t give in! I Samuel 27:1 And David said in his heart, I shall now
perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I
should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul shall despair
of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel: so shall I escape out of his
hand. David seems to be despairing here. David has done well with his life. It was never his intention to do wrong. But we find him here like the animal who is being
run down by the dogs, and finding no way to escape. When a dog gets on the track of a deer out in the woods the deer
will run away. He can outrun the dog, but
he can only run so long. They run and run,
and eventually get so tired that they can’t run any more, so they tend to lay
down to rest. But the dogs smell the tracks, and relentlessly run until they find
the deer. Poor David is like the deer,
and Saul is like that dog who is out to get him. He has chased David and chased him and chased
him. WHAT CAN DAVID
DO? He’s on the run to do everything he can to try and escape – but he
can’t seemingly get away. He has narrowly
escaped Saul many times, just because of the providence of God. Listen to David’s words: I shall perish one day
by the hand of Saul. This sounds like a lapse in his faith: but, then, did you ever get
discouraged? You never did? Didn’t the battle ever get to you? Didn’t the thing someone was doing to you ever
get to you? We know there are those times when it’s easy enough to let things
get to us. David, now, is like anybody
else. Yes, he was a strong man; he was
a warrior – but still, he could take just so much. David was a man who had purposed in his heart to do what was right.
He was a man who did what God would tell
us to do. He loved his enemy. Yes, David loved Saul. David was not against Saul. He hadn’t done anything to Saul. He was good to him. We look at David, then, and his life, and say that there was no real
reason for this. But then, the real reason
for the whole episode of Saul chasing David around and around and around like
an animal to kill him – it was a bad spirit that had gotten onto Saul. Saul just took on that bad spirit. He got depressed, ugly. There was a jealousy on the part of Saul. David was a man who was destined to succeed. He was a man whom God had set His hand upon and
he was going to succeed. Saul looked at David’s success when David started to lead Saul’s
army. My, what wars David fought – and
won – the many victories. But there was
the day they were marching home, and all the women got out in the street, saying,
Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands. Saul heard that, and an old nasty spirit got hold of him. He began to despise David and say in his heart,
What’s left for him to gain but the kingdom! From that day on, Saul went to work to try to destroy David. He tried numerous ways to get David killed –
but nothing worked. Remember, now, David
was destined to succeed. God’s blessing
was on David. We see Saul, now, in his ugly, ugly way, chasing David like the dogs
chasing the deer. And David gets weary
of running and running and running. Every time someone would spot him they would fly to Saul to tell
him where David was. And Saul would dispatch
his army to pursue after him, and try to flush him out and capture him – and to
kill him. You don’t want to be the enemy of a monster like Saul. Yes, Saul became like a monster to David. And who was this young David that he was hated
so? David had behaved himself wisely in all his ways: but still, Saul
despised him. Saul feared that one day
David would have the kingdom. Little did
he know that the thing he so feared would actually come to pass. I Samuel 27:1 And David said in his heart, I shall now
perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I
should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul shall despair
of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel: so shall I escape out of his
hand. WHERE CAN DAVID
GO? I believe by now that David’s weary, that he’s under great pressure
and great strain. This could be shaking
him a bit. But then, let’s not be too hard on David. We can get shaken a little bit, too. We may have scars on our knees where our knees
knocked, where we were weary and scared, and didn’t know what to do. Listen, we have to bear up in the storms that come our way – and
David had to bear up in this storm he was facing. He knew it was inevitable that one day something
was going to transpire, and Saul would get him (at least that’s what he thought).
Here he is thinking that the only place he could go where Saul wouldn’t
be able to come get him would be to escape into the land of the Philistines –
Saul shall despair of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel: so shall
I escape out of his hand. Why would he want to go into the land of the Philistines? They had been at war with David knew Saul couldn’t just run over there to get him and miss
confronting the Philistines. DEALING WITH
DESPAIR We want to be in the place where, in the circumstances we find ourselves
in, the situations and experiences, where we want to know how to deal with despair.
Understand that we will face some battles in this life; we will face
some hard trials; we’re going to face temptations – and, at times, we’re going
to feel like it’s not worth it. We may
feel along the way that it’s just too much to go through. But when we stop our despairing long enough to think in our heart,
we’ll begin to realize, I can’t stop. I can’t give
in. I can’t turn back! I’ve got to go on – no matter what! We’ve got to wise up out of despairing. We’ve got to wise up and take action, less the
adversary weary us – and we begin to feel like the dogs are chasing us like they
would chase a deer; where we run and we run and we run, and we get so tired of
running. Along the journey know in your heart that there are some things that
can really help you: One, is to keep a good attitude, even when the pressures
are tremendous. It’s a wonder that Paul wasn’t living in despair all the time. How could one man hold up with such courage?
How could he stand up against all the opposition
the devil hurled at him along the years of his ministry? Did Paul ever despair of running? Did he ever despair of being whipped or beaten?
Did he ever despair of being thrown into
prison? David, now, is not despairing of serving God. He’s despairing because he’s running like a wild
animal being chased by the dogs. He’s despairing over the persecution and sufferings.
There’s no place to flee, but over into the camp of the enemy. Where else could he go? To go over to the camp of the Philistines, is
that going to make him look good? When
someone hears I’m over there they‘ll think I’ve changed sides! They’ll think I’m a traitor! But David was looking down at the bottom of the list. There’s no more writing below this one. Despairing, he saw no other way but to slip over
the border. WE WANT TO LEARN
FROM DAVID We want to feel what he’s feeling – and to derive from what he’s
experiencing. We want to learn how we need
to adjust ourselves in the midst of conflicts and troubles, so we don’t fall victim
to despair. There’s a danger in despairing, of giving up, of thinking there’s
no use, of feeling we’ve been running until we can’t run any more – and putting
our hands up in surrender. Yes, despair can bring one to surrender, where they feel they might
as well quit, might as well give in – after all, God doesn’t even care
any more. That’s despairing, isn’t it? But David doesn’t say that God doesn’t care.
He doesn’t blame God. He just doesn’t know where to hide. Saul is lurking for him everywhere. It’s not that Saul is behind every tree: but
he does have men everywhere to spy out David. David, facing that, got to thinking in his heart, The day is coming
when I’ll be killed by the hand of Saul. That’s like saying, I know I’m going to be a loser – unless I
really do something soon. Saul was putting a major effort into destroying David. He feared David. He’s running his own son–in–law down. Talk about hating your in–laws! Talk about making out–laws of your in–laws! Talk to Saul, he knows how to do it. What despairing can bring one to, and what one may face in the midst
of some great trial of their faith. I thank God we know that, as children of God,
we can’t depend on ourselves. Psalm 121:4 Behold, He that keepeth God never took a nap, never went to sleep. He watched over David, if you’re going to make it, you’re going to make it because
God will not let Saul do to you what he sets himself to do. No matter what Saul does he is going to fail.
David saw Saul as God’s anointed, and David loved him: but Saul hated
David. Saul was jealous of him. We have to watch that we don’t get caught in one of those traps where
we hate someone. Wouldn’t it be awful if
one of us would make it our duty to harass somebody and harass them and harass
them, living to make them miserable? So now, David was determined to speedily escape into the land of
the Philistines, and then Saul would despair of him: putting the shoe on the other
foot. Saul may despair if David went over there and did for them what he
did for Saul over here – then he would be in trouble. If David goes over there and rises up with that
army like he did with the army of David, leading God’s army, is going over to the enemy camp. What’s he going over there for? What’s he hugging up to that king for? What’s he doing over there! Why? Why? David is thinking, now, that Saul would despair of him – instead
of his despairing of Saul. All of Saul’s
wars are with the Philistines. Remember,
when Saul goes down he’s going down by the sword or the spear or the arrow of
the Philistines. So David, in his natural mind, is thinking that if he does this then
Saul will stop the dogs from his tracks. Saul will call off the dogs from chasing him,
from trying to destroy him. David deep in his heart wanted a release from that. He’s been running a long time. It’s not been a pleasant experience to run in
despair of his life. What would David do,
then? He said it in his heart, and he set
his heart to do it. I believe this was a great change in David's attitude. For David to go this way was not David. This just was not David. This was not what a man capable of one day being
the king of I Samuel 27:2 And David arose, and he passed over with
the six hundred men that were with him unto Achish, the son of Maoch, king of
Gath. COULD GOD TAKE
CARE OF DAVID? . . . and
could He take care of David in his despairing situation? Could God give him a rest in all of this? Could God help him in this? And, would God help him in this way? Is this David’s natural way of helping himself?
Or, could it be that it was God helping
him? Now, think of this – David’s coming into the land of the Philistines.
They know he has a small army, and these
men had their wives and children with them. Are David and all these people coming in peace?
Or are they coming to cause trouble? David going over to the camp of the enemy. Remember, he’s still an Israelite. He’s still part of that nation. And there’s a constant war going on between David is trusting, isn't he? It’s almost like, If I perish, I perish. What else can I do? I Samuel 27:4 And it was told Saul that David was fled
to Maybe David’s despairing helped him here. Saul knows he’s over there and no longer seeks
after him. That seems to be the conclusion.
I think David gained some victory: but look at where he is. Look where he had to go to find some relief.
How far do we have to go to escape despairing?
I suppose we could go to the end of the earth seeking relief from
our despair. But, then again, it depends
on what we are despairing about. There’s
hope in Jesus. There’s a bright hope in
Jesus every day. Right now you may be up and bright as the sun. You may be happy and joyous. Your days may be full of grace and peace with
Jesus. You feel wonderful! You feel like going on, like marching on in victory.
But, then, there’s the other side: the day that finds you in despair. You don’t know what to do. You’re not in the sunshine now, you’re in the
shadows. You don’t know how things are
going to turn out, what you may have to forbear – but you do know this: you can’t
give in; you still have to trust God. TRAPS You know there are many kinds of traps in this world. Some animals are very hard to trap. The adversary is always out to set some kind
of a trap to ensnare God’s people and make it hard for them. Think of the natural traps the Bible describes to us – like journeying
along a pathway in the night, and falling into a pit that someone dug and covered
as a trap. You don’t notice it there in
your path, until suddenly you’re down in that pit and can’t get out. The Bible speaks of a stumbling stone being placed in your pathway
to cause you to fall and get hurt. The
devil is always up to setting some type of a trap or snare for God’s people. Satan views you like a hunter views that animal. Has David got himself into another trap here? He took a chance, didn't he? Sometimes we may take a chance, thinking we’re
going to be bettered by something we do – but so many times, it only gets worse.
Other times, we take a chance and find
that it worked out for us. What if this, what if that? Do you ever do that? That’s typical of life, trying to figure out
what might happen, what one’s options might be. Proverbs 3:5,6 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and
lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall
direct thy paths Hold on. God will come through.
It might not look like it now. You may have taken a few humps and bumps – but
God will come through. He won’t fail you.
Yes, God will see you through. He’s not going to let you down. Everything may be gone, but God is still God.
You've got to look to Him if you want help. When we despair, everything gets out of focus. Everything seems to be in disarray, to where
we can get to the point where we don’t believe anything. What’s the end of all that? If we want victory there’s only one place to turn. If we find ourselves despairing, we need to turn
to the Lord and pour out our hearts unto Him. I Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth
for you If we would only turn to the Lord – there’s where faith will get bright, and
the lights will come up. Suddenly the darkness
will roll away and suddenly we’ll see that Jesus really is the answer. All we ever needed was to trust Him. All we ever needed was to hold on to Him. All we ever needed was to stand fast. Even if we’re in the mire, He’s not going to
let us slip. David was standing there before the enemy, but his life wasn’t meant
to be that of a martyr. David is going
to be the king of GOD’S WILL FOR
OUR LIFE IS GOING TO STAND . . . and nothing the devil does is going to change it; nothing that
people do to us will change it. If God
has a will for us, and God has got a purpose for us, and He’s got a few miles
for us to run for Him – listen, everything’s going to get out of the road eventually
– and we’re going through. Saul was destined to fail, and David was destined to be king. How could David fail in those things? When he warred and battled, didn’t God bring
him through? Didn’t God hold him up? Didn’t God make a way for him? It might have looked altogether impossible to
David that day – but didn’t David come through? We can run around and say the devil this and the devil that – but
then we have to look at the Bible and see the examples of those whom God called
way back then. God called Paul to that great ministry. The devil this and the devil that – but Paul
did it any way, didn’t he. There were a lot of things thrown in Paul’s pathway, a lot of sufferings
and persecutions – but he came out and stood to the test. And he wrote a letter to young Timothy: I
fought a good fight. I finished my course.
Henceforth there’s a crown laid up for
me. Yes, Paul came through. We
have to take hold to those things. If God
be for us, who in this world, or any world to come, can be against us? If God be for us, if God sent His own Son to bring us out – how much
more, that He did all that to save us, will He now stand with us and be with us!
God is for us today. Let’s
trust Him. The course that He called us
to run we can run it. Yes, God will see
us through. We’ve got to trust in His faithfulness.
Romans 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? IF GOD BE FOR US, Who can be against us? I wonder how many times Satan has run head on into that Scripture.
How many times has he seen that God really
was for somebody, and nothing he could do could alter or change it? One day Satan came up to Job and surely thought if he had the opportunity
to put his hands in Job’s hair he’d mess up his life – and Job would fail God,
and Job would curse God to His face. God let him go after Job and Job lost everything he had. You know the story. When all was said and done Job could lift up
his voice and say, The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away blessed be the
name of the Lord. Right in Satan’s
face! Satan thought that one over and wanted
another chance – if he loses his health, and gets down, and is weary of life – then he’ll curse God for the
sake of his skin. So he tried that: but that didn’t work, either. Was God for Job? Would we say that God was for Job? If God was for Job then who could be against
him? Though Satan mustered up all he could
to get him to fall, Job rose up. How many men do we know in the Bible who rose up because God was
for them? He’s for you, and won't He help you? Won’t He meet your needs? Won’t He see you through no matter what? No matter what! And if you have a call on your life is God going to fail? I’d like to find a failure book about God but
there isn’t one around. Do you know any?
Did he ever fail you? He’ll let you be tried and tested. He’ll let you suffer adversity – but did He ever
fail you? FAITHFUL! I Thessalonians 5:24 Faithful is He that calleth you, who also
will do it. We can rest in that. We can
trust in that. God is faithful. Let’s trust Him. In whatever we do in the midst of our battles,
let’s not despair. Let’s know that God
said He is for us, and who can be against us? Why should we despair? God
said He would keep us. Who are we going
to trust? We’re going to trust in the Lord,
because we are kept by the power of God. Darkness will Cease When the storm winds o’er you roll Know God has everything in His control. When clouds of darkness sweep over you Be assured, God will bring you through. If you trust Him, and will pray, Yield yourself, your will to His way, Then hearken to His voice, and obey. You, too, will hold Satan at bay. The storm winds and darkness will cease, Be assured, you will have sweet peace. – Patricia Dailey – |