A teaching by Rev. Barbara Williams, President of the Ministry of the Watchman International
Week of March 14-18, 2022
MONDAY
So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives. Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep. And David’s two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. And David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.
1 Samuel 30:3-6
What happens when we cry unto the Lord? I know many of us mature, faith-filled believers cannot relate to such a condition, but the writer of this psalm knew exactly how a human being feels when he is distressed. He also knows the remedy.
If you are in need of healing, there is good news! Proverbs 4:20-22 SAYS:
My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
So there is life and health in God’s word. Since God’s word is medicine, we must take it like we would a prescription. I suggest three times a day, like you would your food. Remember, healing is the children’s bread. Consider this your “dose” for today. Remember, read, and meditate three times a day the following:
Rx: Hebrews 13:8 ~ Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forevermore.
“Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
2 Timothy 2:15
If you’ve never studied the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, we invite you to join us as we read through the Bible in a year. Read and meditate on these chapters this week:
March 14: Exodus 25, John 4, Proverbs 1, 2 Corinthians 13
March 15: Exodus 26, John 5, Proverbs 2, Galatians 1
March 16: Exodus 27, John 6, Proverbs 3,Galatians 2
March 17: Exodus 28, John 7, Proverbs 4, Galatians 3
March 18: Exodus 29, John 8, Proverbs 5, Galatians 4
March 19: Exodus 30, John 9, Proverbs 6, Galatians 5
March 20: Exodus 31, John 10, Proverbs 7, Galatians 6
TUESDAY
So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives. Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep. And David’s two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. And David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.
1 Samuel 30:3-6
What happens when we cry unto the Lord? I know many of us mature, faith-filled believers cannot relate to such a condition, but the writer of this psalm knew exactly how a human being feels when he is distressed. He also knows the remedy.
WEDNESDAY
And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.”
But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.” Moreover David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”
And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!”
1 Samuel 17:33-37
How exactly is this done? How does one encourage himself in the Lord his God? David did this through rehearsal.
This was something the children of Israel were commanded by God to do. They were told to rehearse His sayings in the ears of their children, wear the word as frontlets over their eyes, keep the word before their eyes and hide it in their hearts. When something is rehearsed, it is reenacted, either mentally or verbally or both, or in action until it is perfected and rings right in their ears.
I can remember memorizing poetry throughout my school years. “To him who in the love of nature holds… ” “… life is but a walking shadow; a poor player who struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more..”
Ever notice how this stuff sticks with you, whether you want it or not?!! Even the depressing stuff can be rehearsed in our minds. Our minds are made to store information.
So God desires that we rehearse the things that he has said in our ears. When our ears hear them, our hearts grab on to them.
David rehearsed his exploits with God before his defeat of Goliath. He convinced King Saul and himself that God would give him victory over Goliath because God had already given him victory over every foe that he had faced. This uncircumcised Philistine would be no different than the lion and the bear.
THURSDAY
And David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.
1 Samuel 30:6
To encourage oneself in the Lord means to move oneself from discouraged to encouraged. I can remember many years ago having the habit of staying depressed for months at a time. At that time I would have fought anybody who told me to encourage myself. I would think, “I’m depressed… I can’t work, I can’t think straight, I can’t be happy.” Discouragement immobilizes and weakens a person.
So what does encouragement do? Just the opposite. It strengthens and motivates us. It opens us up to the realm of possibilities in God. Encouragement is very powerful in strengthening a person’s spirit. Praying in tongues also strengthens us and prepares us to make powerful declarations of God’s goodness.
When a person’s spirit is strengthened, his mind and body will soon cooperate. The spirit of a man is the candle of God. Your spirit lights the way for the rest of your being. It is the heart and seat of the origins of the deeper things in you life. It is the seat of your beliefs and values. It is the place where the fruit of the Spirit is stored. The spirit is the seat of life. It is vitally important to allow your spirit man to lead and have the preeminence in all your endeavors.
When one is discouraged, he has taken on or given into the influence of another spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is goodness, meekness, patience, self control, love, faith and the like. These are powerful, life giving forces. The opposite forces produce death. David’s giving in further to discouragement may have cost him his life in any of these situations, for they were all life-threatening. He knew this both by instinct and by experience. He chose life. He encouraged Himself in the Lord.
FRIDAY
“If it had not been the Lord who was on our side,”
Let Israel now say—“If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up against us, then they would have swallowed us alive, when their wrath was kindled against us; then the waters would have overwhelmed us, the stream would have gone over our soul; then the swollen waters would have gone over our soul.”
Blessed be the Lord, who has not given us as prey to their teeth. Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
Psalm 124
So let’s do it. Let’s encourage ourselves in the Lord our God. Can you remember a time when it seemed that nobody could help and nobody cared? But you’re still here. God came to your rescue. Only God.
Those are the times that you rehearse over and over again in your mind. If it had not been for the Lord, who is always on your side, what do you think would have happened to you?
I can remember having accidents as a child… life threatening accidents, and somehow my life was spared. That unexplained “somehow,” was the Lord on my side. If it had not been for Him, I would have died several times. As an adult I suffered a severe depression, again, life threatening. If it had not been for the Lord on my side, I would not be here.
Have men ever risen up against you? Has anybody falsely accused you? Has anybody taken anything from you? God on your side makes all the difference.
Those who are against you, He is not for. Their day is coming, that’s why He who sits in the heavens laughs at our enemies. We can too, after we have encouraged ourselves in the Lord our God.
Oh yes, and after David encouraged himself in the Lord his God, he was assured by God that he would overtake his enemies and recover all. Recovery can only come if you keep yourself encouraged in the Lord your God.
If you are having bouts of discouragement and fear that God is not with you, sing a new song. Sing a song of encouragement the way the Sweet Psalmist of Israel did. The Lord is on your side.
Blessed be the Lord, who has not given us as a prey to the teeth of our enemies; our help is in the name of the Lord, maker of heaven and earth. Praise be the Lord.