1 Samuel 22:2 All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their commander. About four hundred men were with him.
Is this you today? Whenever we get knocked out of our regular routines, it is easy to see the bad, the difficult, the discouraging, the disquieting. And we tend to gather around us those who are also in the same sad state.
But when this happens the whole mess becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. We are discouraged, so we gather other discouraged people around us and we talk our discouragement which makes us all feel even more discourage. And with each passing day it seems to get worse. The sky is falling and now you have proof! All of us can’t be wrong, can we?
David, the future king of Israel, finds himself on the run from the current king who wants him dead. And who gathers around him? The best of society? Those who would be an asset to his new administration when he comes to power? The top tier scientist and innovators? Nope! A bunch of unemployable malcontents.
David welcomes them into the safety of his presence. He is the leader and they are willing to follow. He has the know how, he listens to the LORD and the LORD has promised him a future. But he needs to mold these men in order for their journey together to be successful.
David’s family has followed him into seclusion. They too are afraid of Saul’s murderous threats. Since it was common back then to kill the families of rivals, David’s family is in peril. So they join David. But David finds a safe place for his parents.
But David is not alone. The LORD has not abandoned him, despite living on the run. He hears from the LORD through a prophet and moves to a forest for safety. He is reassured by a friend that the plans the LORD has announced for him will come true.
Sometimes we need to ignore our circumstances and hear the reassuring words of the promises of God. When we are in dark times, we need to see the light of those promises guiding us through those dark days. We need to hear the hope proclaimed as we recount the LORD’s faithfulness in the past. He hasn’t failed. Period.
The Arnold Journey 