1Samuel 30:6b "But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God".
Have you ever been discouraged? Have you ever felt as though you have been in a certain situation for such a long time that you wonder if God has forgotten about you? I certainly have..and I'm sure most of you have as well. I loved this verse from I Samuel..and to know that even David had to refocus on God..Even David needed to stop, and to take the time to encourage himself in the Lord. He was actually to be made King..but had been running from Saul who was trying to kill him. Now when David returned to Ziklag, he found that the Amalekites had come, and had burned it, and had taken the women and the children captive. David's own wives had been taken. 1 Samuel 30 describes what the men were feeling when they came to find their families had been taken captive. "Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep." Ever been there?
Most of you know our testimony (mine and Ray's)..but some don't. I share it here today for two reasons..Revelation 12:11 says, They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony..I want to be an overcomer. I don't want to be "stuck" in the pain of the past. The Lord wants us to be overcomers..I want to use what satan meant for evil, to help someone else who may be "stuck".. That's really the second reason. God has given me a love for all of you, and I truly want to see you all be set free from the things that might hold you back. I want you to be free to love God fully, and to trust Him fully. I'm not saying that I'm there yet either. I'm thinking this is a journey we can all take together. In Revelation 12:10..it says, "for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night." Then it goes into how they overcame..by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. Satan is the accuser. He doesn't have much else going for him. I believe he not only makes accusations to God about us, but he makes accusations to us about God. He tries to get us to believe that God has forgotten us. He tries to get us to believe that we are not worthy of God's help. He tries for some, even to make them question God's existence. The Bible says he is the Father of lies. He is a deceiver and knows that his time is short.
When I first met Ray in 1983, the thing that I really noticed about him was what a good father he was. He had two boys, Matthew and Nathan..Matthew was 4 at the time and Nathan was 1 1/2. Those boys were Ray's life. He spent every other weekend with them, and when it was his weekend to have the boys, all other things stopped. That time was their time..we never had a lot of money, so he would just play catch with the boys..we would invent silly games, like rolling up socks and having sock fights in the hallway..but those boys knew that they were very loved..and they loved their father very much. My son Brian and I grew to love Matthew and Nathan and we were a family. On the weekends we had the boys, we all did everything together. Barbecuing would be an event. The boys loved to help, and as all three of our boys grew, so did the love in our family. On cool spring evenings, Ray would be out throwing the football with Brian and Nathan. Matthew and I would be outside with them..but looking through Matthew's telescope at the stars and the beautiful sky that God created.
Then one day, the unthinkable happened. We had gone to pick up the boys for what was supposed to be a week long visit during the week of Easter, and when we got to the house where they lived, it was empty. I felt like David must have felt in the story in 1 Samuel. I know that Ray did also. We were stunned beyond belief. We didn't know what to think. We couldn't believe this was happening. We, like David, lifted up our voices and wept until we had no more power to weep.
In the days, weeks, months, and years to come, we felt "stuck" in our pain. It was hard to move forward. We began to question God. We didn't understand why He would allow something like this..Again I ask..ever been there? Have you ever been in that situation that has been the thing that you thought would be the end of you? The Bible says that David was greatly distressed. I'm sure those words don't even begin to cover the emotion that David felt..or the emotion that many of you have felt..or the emotion that Ray and I felt on that spring day so many years ago.
To make a long story short, we never have seen Matthew again...but after 13 years, we were able to see Nathan and I thank the Lord for that brief time that we had with him.
This whole event in my life has changed me..and has changed the way I look at things. I am more thankful for the little things. Ray and I know and believe that the ministry that we have at the Boys Ranch and the heart that God has given us for those boys, is because of the painful situation that we went through. Once again, God has taken something painful, and turned it into something that can be used for His honor and glory...but what about you?
I want to focus here for a moment on what David did..the Bible says that he ENCOURAGED himself in the Lord. I am guessing here, but I wonder if David didn't remind Himself of what God HAD done in his life..He helped him fight the giant Goliath..He gave him the strength for the battles in his life..I could go on and on..He was a leader, but God was preparing him for so much more.
Today may be a day for some of you to ENCOURAGE yourselves in the Lord..God told the children of Israel to remember to tell their children, and their children's children about the things that He had done in their lives. Beloved, we are comforted through the hard times by remembering God's help in the past. (Read Psalm 77)..
In Joshua 3, we read the story of the children of Israel crossing the Jordan River, into the promised land. This was what they had been waiting for..for over 40 long years! And now the day had finally come that they were to enter in to the promised land..but this was no ordinary crossing..when the soles of the feet of the priests touched the water, the Lord parted the water so that all the people could cross..and after they had crossed the Jordan, God told Joshua to take 12 stones out from the river that they had just crossed, as a memorial for Israel to remember always that the children of Israel had crossed into the promised land through the Jordan river, on dry land!
Beloved, I encourage you today, to encourage yourself in the things of God..to not think long and hard on the things that have been difficult to understand..the Lord will take care of those things..but to begin to retrain yourself to remember the things that God Has done in your life. One of those things for me has been the birth of my grandson this last year. What a huge blessing to me, and to Ray. God has used this little boy to fill help fill what was a very empty place in our hearts. We are learning to rejoice over what God has done.
I saw Beth Moore one time with an actual graph that she had made of her life..she had drawn little stones along the pathway that she has walked these 50 years, and she had written on each little stone that she had drawn, just some of the things that God had done in her life..some of the ways that He had carried her..some of the ways that He had "parted the waters" so that she could continue on that path.
Friends, God wants to carry you too..Today, spend some time..just with Him..just remembering what He has done in your life.. knowing that He loves you and that He has a plan for your life that is a good plan..The world is such a negative place, and we tend to get so wrapped up in some of that negative thinking..but today, begin to remember the good..remember that God loves you..remember the specific incidents in your life that have been used by Him. Begin to ask Him to reveal Himself to you..set up those stones of remembrance..and know that you are BELOVED to Him.
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