The Battle Belongs to the Lord

I Samuel 30:6- David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God.

This is speaking of the incident where David was running from King Saul of Israel and had taken refuge among the Philistines in Ziklag. He was with their ruler who was preparing to engage Saul and Israel in battle. The Philistine commanders demanded that David be sent back to Ziklag because they didn’t trust him to not turn on them in battle and join forces with Israel against them. And so David was sent back to Ziklag and upon arriving there he and his men found that the Amalekites had attacked the city, kidnapping their wives and children and stealing their goods and livestock. David’s men were so upset at this loss that they began talking about stoning him to death.

What David didn’t know was that Saul was about to be killed in battle by the Philistines. Satan knew this, but not David. The death of Saul would bring promotion to David who would take his place as king of Israel. The prophet, Samuel, had anointed him as the next king years earlier. Satan knew that God was with David. He saw him kill Goliath. He watched as he defeated thousands of Philistines in battle. He was anointed as a songwriter and worshiper of God and Satan saw demons flee when David would play and sing. David was a great threat to Satan because he could thwart the destructive agenda he had for the destruction of Israel.

This story shows us the spiritual truth that many times we will face our biggest battle right before our greatest promotion. The body of Christ is experiencing this now in the world scene. It’s being played out in destructive ways in our politics, economy, weather, culture and relationships. It may be happening to you, right now. The good news is, God brings promotion on the other side of our biggest battles. The Church of Jesus Christ is poised for a mighty move of the Holy Spirit. A great harvest. An outpouring of God’s power, love, compassion and salvation. Don’t let the spirit of Ziklag bring you down in this hour. Be like David and “encourage yourself in the Lord”. God inhabits the praises of His people. Let Him arise in your life and your enemies will scatter!