ICS Daily Devotions
Humility in Handling Stress
1 Samuel 22:1-3 (NKJV) David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him. And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him. Then David went from there to Mizpah of Moab; and he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and mother come here with you, till I know what God will do for me.”
We all face different kinds of stress at different stages of our lives. One common form of stress these days might be the transition following the loss of a job. The higher we are in the corporate world, the more difficult the adjustment. Our spouses and children will also be affected as they go through the process of adjustment with us. In order to make sure we deal with the situation victoriously, we need to know the proper coping mechanisms as found in the Bible, even before any unforeseen circumstances happen.
The opening passage found David in the darkest moment of his life while hiding in the cave of Adullam. This scene is almost unthinkable because of the meteoric rise of David from an unknown shepherd boy to the hero of the nation. David was adored by women and admired by men for being a man of war, and he was anointed to be the next King of Israel. It was a huge curve ball that came into his life. The route of ascension to the throne was not as smooth as one would have thought.
The first key to handling stress is to stay humble. Although David was anointed and called by God to be the next King of Israel, he was never in a hurry to assume the role. In fact, he would have continued to serve King Saul faithfully if it wasn’t for the latter’s insecurity. David stayed humble and submitted to God’s timing. He did everything right—his heart was in the right place, he had a close walk with God, and he even showed respect to God’s anointed only to find himself hiding in a dark, cold, damp cave for three to six months without knowing what would happen to him. This was not supposed to happen!
Some of us have similar incomprehensible experiences too, but take heart that even though we may find ourselves in our “cave of Adullam”, all is not lost, because a detour doesn’t mean we won’t get to the final destination. In fact, David’s time in the cave taught him how to tackle the toughest challenges later on in his life. Be assured that the same God who led David will also lead you out in victory.
Sermon Series: Handling Stress- The Cave of Adullam
