Draw Your Strength from the Lord
ICS Daily Devotions
1 Samuel 30:6 (NKJV) Now David 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 himself in the Lord his God.
In 1 Samuel 30:1-8, we see that David had to deal with both his enemies and his own men, who were angry with him and wanted to stone him. It must have been emotionally taxing for David. He must have felt trapped and troubled, and anxious for his wives, who had been taken captive. We too face situations that cause stress in our lives. Perhaps we have been taken captive in our thoughts by oppression or obsession, or are going through a tribulation.
Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV) But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.
David drew strength from the Lord by entering God’s presence, waiting upon Him, and adopting the posture of a learner who listens for His instruction. This is a picture of shedding self-reliance and choosing to depend wholly on God. Like an eagle in a season of renewal, stripped of what once enabled it to survive and soar, we may find ourselves in a vulnerable place where we must trust both the process and the outcome. Yet as the eagle is renewed and strengthened to fly higher and farther, so those who wait upon the Lord will receive renewed strength. David fully depended on the Lord as he spent time refocusing on God rather than on the issue at hand. He chose to place his trust in God, addressed his fear, and regained faith that God is for him, not against him.
1 Corinthians 14:4 (NKJV) He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.
We need to learn to strengthen ourselves in the Lord, like David, by disciplining ourselves to be in God’s presence. We need to cultivate the spiritual habit of worshipping God, reading His Word, and praying in the understanding and in the Spirit.
We are more blessed in the New Testament because of what Jesus has accomplished on the cross. Not only do we have the full counsel of the Word of God, but we can also stand on God’s promises; we have the Holy Spirit praying through us and interceding for us in accordance with God’s will, and Jesus is interceding for us at the right hand of the Heavenly Father! God speaks to us; the Holy Spirit will counsel, comfort, and exhort us. Our prayer to God is one way for us to rely completely on Him as our source of strength and an expression of our faith in Him.
What we need most when we are under stress is to be edified and strengthened in the inner man. Being strengthened in the heart enables us to withstand external pressure.
Reflection: Who or what do you usually rely on when you are under stress? In which areas of your life is God inviting you to deepen your trust in Him?
Sermon Series: 2026 CG Campaign – Up! (Part 2)
