It was apparent he had made a serious error. David and his band of men had been following Achish, the Philistine King of Gath and his army, but had failed to leave any fighting men behind in their city of residence, Ziklag, rendering it defenseless.

When David and his men returned to Ziklag, they found the city burned and their wives and children taken captive. The Amalekites, long-time enemies of the Jews, had made a raid on the southern border of Philistia and Judah

The deep sorrow David's men had, turned to hatred of David for not having the foresight to protect their families. They started talking about stoning him. Now David really felt bad.

What did David do? "...but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God." (1 Samuel 30:6c) The Bible does say this, but in my mind I see David, at this point, on his knees, eyes shut, hands raised above his head, and I can hear his mouth uttering praises unto God, worshiping God. I can picture him in my mind, as his countenance changed from sorrow to strength.

Whether this is the way it occurred or not, I do not know. Regardless, I am sure his encouraging himself in the Lord took effort within, no matter how he did it.

More importantly, David turned to God. He did not yell out, "Is anyone on my side?" Nay, but he went directly to his heavenly Shepherd. People that do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ often turn to the wrong sources for comfort when they are hit with a heavy problem or problems. A variety of actions might be manifested: cursing, drinking, smoking, gambling, violent actions, and list can go on. We can develop just as large a list for those of us who say we are Christians. We might throw our own pity party, spend money for momentary happiness, blame others, call others to ask their opinion - hoping that they will side with us. We might even look for a lawyer.

Why does God have to be last?

That is a good question, especially for us who say we know Christ, that we have been born-again. We should be the example, and habitually turn to God first when confronted with a problem.

Worshiping our creator will endow us with strength to release that grace, the very life of His Son, to direct us in handling the trials that roll our way.