Turning To God

Where do you turn or what do you do when everything seems to be going wrong? Many of us turn to some sort of coping mechanism. You may close yourself off to the world, look for comfort in food or drink, sleep excessively or something else. Usually our human nature finds an unhealthy way to deal with it. Sometimes we use God as our last resort when He should be our first place to turn. While stress deprives us of strength and energy, the Lord renews our strength, give us peace in chaos and offers wisdom to all who ask.

In 1 Samuel 30, David and his men had been living in the land of the Philistines to hide from Saul. David had found favor with the king there. When they went to war with Israel, David was expected to fight, but the other kings disapproved.He and his men were sent back home. As they were nearing their city, they saw smoke. A raiding party had captured their families, looted their homes and burned the city. David’s men turned on him and wanted to kill him. Verse 6 says, “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” (NLT). Instead of panicking, David turned to the Lord, found answers, chased down the raiders and recovered everything and everyone.

Psalm 46:1 says, “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.” I love this promise of God. He is our safe place, our rock and our strength when everything is going wrong. He is our shelter when the storms of life hit hard. He is always ready to help in your times of trouble, but you must turn to Him instead of unhealthy coping mechanisms. David and his men had no idea that Saul was about to die and he would be king after that battle. Sometimes things are hardest just before we receive our breakthrough. Don’t give up or give in. Find your strength in God as David did. Turn to Him for direction when you don’t know what to do next or where to turn. He will not fail you or abandon you.

Photo by Alexandra Blia on Unsplash