Monday - October 3, 2016

Woodlawn Family Bible Study
MONDAY

BIBLE READING:  1 Samuel 30:1-15

 Imagine that you have been out of town on a business trip, and as you pull onto your street you see smoke coming from the direction of your house. As you pull into the driveway, you see a large pile of ash and soot where your home once stood. Devastated, you jump out of your car desperately trying to find your family, but they are nowhere to be found. You later speak with a neighbor who explains that a stranger came into the neighborhood, set fire to your home, and kidnapped your family. You are at loss for words and faced with a decision: what do you do? 

 This may sound like a dramatic illustration, but this story is similar to what happened to David and his mighty men in 1 Samuel 30. They came home to find their city destroyed with fire, and the women and children were taken captive. When David heard the news, the Scripture tells us, “David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.” How was he even able to function well enough to go to God? It seems as though every moment would have been crucial for him to catch up to the enemy and rescue his family. For most of us, our first plan of action would have been to organize a search party for our families, and develop a strategy to overtake the enemy. In a way, that is exactly what David did! He sought help from the One to whom he was closest: God. He also called out to the One who had all the resources at His disposal to devise a course of action: God. David was able to seek God in the midst of a trying situation because of his very close relationship with God. His exact plan is not described in the text, but I can imagine it had a lot to do with prayer and possibly even reading stories form the Law to give him peace and comfort. We cannot fully prepare for tragedy to hit our family, but it will come. 

 Application:  How strong is your relationship with God? That will be the standard by which we are able to overcome tragedy and grow from it. Make sure you have a strong relationship with “him who is able to do far more abundantly that all that we ask or thing, according to the power at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20).

 Prayer Request

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