Be Strong In the Lord!
David was a
master at encouraging himself in the Lord, strengthening
himself in the Lord. God provided David the motivational
tool of His Word and David used it prolifically.
David would rehearse (recall out loud) what God had said
and what God had done. With this he would strengthen his
own heart and the hearts of those around him. And much of
what David would recall is what God had said:
Psalm
119:49-50
Remember
the word to Your servant, upon which You have caused me to
hope. This is my comfort in my affliction, for Your word
has given me life.
David found
life in God’s Word. His Word IS life! David turned
trouble into opportunites for one more long, deep drink of
the life of God in His Word. Through this, he was
strengthened and encouraged all the days of his life.
When
Things Went Well
When the ark
was successfully brought up to the Tabernacle,
David’s song of thanksgiving included:
1Chronicle 16: 11-12
Seek the Lord and His strength.
Seek is face forevermore.
Remember His marvelous works which he has done,
His wonders and the judgments of His mouth.
“Judgments of his mouth” refer to the power of
what God speaks. Let’s take a closer look:
judgment:
mishpat #4941
•
decision
•
determination
•
judgment
•
a
personal cause or right
•
justice
•
rectification
•
correction
•
punishment
Commentary in
the Spirit Filled Life Bible defines judgment as that
faculty which “produces decisions based on justice,
rightness, truth, fairness and equity. Judgment rectifies
imbalance and sets things right again.”
When
Things Were Tough
David knew that
no matter what (Remember Mizpah? 1Samuel 30:6), God would
set things right again. The whole history of David is of
God doing that very thing over and over and over. Need we
wonder how David kept going through all the trials he
endured? Repeatedly he sought the Lord in His strength,
recalled His mighty deeds, and remembered the Words God had
spoken. David had a God-inspired motivational program going
that brought him through chaos into victory.
1Samuel
30:6
Now Davis
was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning
him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every
man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened
(encouraged) himself in the Lord his God
Strengthened chazaq #2388
•
strong
•
courageous
•
valiant
•
manly
•
established
•
firm
•
fortified
•
obstinant
•
mighty
So, no matter
how bad the situation became, David would turn to the Lord
and what the Lord had said. God’s word brought him
life and David could rise to his feet strong, courageous,
established, fortified in the Word of Truth and mighty in
the purposes of God.
We
have the same opportunities today!
In the closing chapter of David’s life, he praises
God for the abundant offerings of the people for building
the temple. Before the assembly he says:
1Chronicles
29:12
Both riches
and honor come from You, and You reign over all.
In Your hand is power and might;
In Your hand is to make great and to give
strength to all.
David was
honoring God and reminding people to be strong in Him.
We
have the same opportunities today!
What
Will You Do?
Paul says in
the last chapter to the Ephesians
Ephesians 6:10
Finally, my
brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His
might.
He follows that up with “put on the full armor of
God”. What he then describes as “putting on the
armor” is a picture of wrapping yourself in the Word,
being clothed in Christ, Who is the Word.
Who can feel down and out if they are wrapped in the Word?
“Let the weak say I am strong!” (Joel 3:10)
Take-Home-Lesson
1. Encourage
yourself with remembrances of what God has done in your
life, in the lives of those you know and care about.
2. Remember what God has done in the lives of Biblical
characters like David, Moses, Joseph…
3. Meditate on and memorized truth found in God’s
Word.
4. Meditate on and memorize promises found in Scripture.
Get these on the hard-drive of your mind so they are
immediately available in a pinch.
5. Pray Scripture daily. This is one way to be
“wrapped” in the Word.
6. Use Scripture prayer on CD like No Storm Too
Great and
Prayer
Affirmations for the Journey to increase
your Scripture-based prayer time.
7. Use books of collected scripture prayers like
Blessing Your
Spirit to jumpstart
your praying when you are tired or new at this sort of
prayer.