Pastor’s Desk

Trouble and tough times happen, its what we do when trouble comes that matters. Here we see a number of
differing understandings, or methods if you like, from the same verse.

David and his men have been out fighting the enemy but when they come home they find some other enemy has attacked their camp and taken their families. So:-

1Sa 30:6 [MSG] David was in trouble. The men, bitter over the loss of their families, talked of stoning him. But David strengthened himself with trust in his GOD.

David spoke to himself of how God could be trusted to see him through.

[CEV] David was desperate. … he felt the LORD God giving him strength

David gave himself to that trust and felt God’s strength coming over him.

[BBE] David was greatly troubled … he made himself strong in his God

David gets stuck into his thinking and forces himself to believe in the might of his God

[NIV] David was in great distress … he found strength in the LORD his God

There is strength in God if you seek it. Its there to be found for who seek it.

[GNB] David was in great trouble … but the LORD his God gave him courage

God is not mean when it comes to helping us. He wants and has the best for us.

[TLB] David was seriously worried …David took strength from the Lord

Faith takes from God what God is handing out. This is not a wrong thing to do.

David doesn’t sit in his misery and defeat. He gets tough on himself and stirs up his thinking, this activates his trust and faith which pleases God. God’s grace gives
strength and confidence to David and he goes out and gets his life back.

Some of us need to get tough on ourselves and start to believe God is able to change our world; He may need to
change us to do it, but He can and will do it!! – Works for me!

Pastor Larry Blackmore