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Finding Strength In God

Kenneth W. HaginBy Kenneth W. Hagin


As long as we live on this earth, at one time or another we are going to encounter trouble. Although adversity comes to all of us, people react differently to it. Some people try to solve the problem on their own. Others look to friends or family for help. Still others rely on the Lord. A good example of someone who always triumphed in adversity is David. And by looking at his life, we can learn how to come out of trouble victoriously
every time.


David had more than his share of problems. King Saul was jealous of him and repeatedly tried to kill him. On several occasions, David escaped death by hiding in the wilderness. One time David’s entire family was kidnapped. He suffered the shame of adultery and murder. His son Amnon raped his daughter Tamar. Two years later, David’s son Absalom killed Amnon because of what was done to Tamar. Absalom later tried to overthrow King David but was killed in battle.

In many ways, David was not much different from us. He experienced temptation, had a lot of problems, and was extremely grieved by the things that were happening to him. But in spite of his shortcomings and difficulties, he survived. The Lord called David a man after His own heart (1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22). How could this be? Because David constantly looked to God and relied on Him in every situation. We see an example of this in the Book of First Samuel.

At this time in David’s life, he and his men had gone to live with the Philistines to escape King Saul. However, the Philistine army commanders didn’t trust David. They believed that David and his men would turn against them in the midst of a battle. David and his men were ordered to leave. So they returned to Ziklag where they were living. As David and his men approached Ziklag, they discovered that the Amalekites had kidnapped their wives and children and destroyed their town (see 1 Sam. 29:1–30:6).

David was deeply distressed when he realized what had happened. And his men were so upset that they spoke of stoning him. David, however, “. . . found strength in the Lord his God” (1 Sam. 30:6 NIV). The Amplified Bible says, “David encouraged and strengthened himself in the Lord his God.” And through the Lord, the situation was turned around.

This is only one example of how David looked to God in times of trouble. Every time he sought God, he was strengthened and found the answer to his problem. David wrote many of the psalms as he found strength in God during troubled times.

When David was being pursued by Saul, he wrote Psalm 59. When he was in prison in Gath, he wrote Psalm 56. When David was fleeing Absalom, he wrote Psalm 3. When he was hiding in the wilderness of Judea, he wrote Psalm 63. Over and over, we see David gain strength as he poured his heart out to God in a psalm.

David wrote these psalms when men were coming against him. However, as David directed his thoughts toward God, he realized that mere men could not harm him.

PSALM 56:3–4 (NIV)
3 When I am afraid, I will trust in you.
4 In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?

David began his day by singing about the power of God.

PSALM 59:16–17 (NIV)
16 But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.
17 O my Strength, I sing praise to you; you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God.

Many people don’t want to sing in the morning. But as David sang, he reminded himself that God was his place of refuge—a safe haven where nobody could harm him. David remembered that God was his fortress—a place he could flee to when he needed protection.

Many times we wait until our lives are completely out of control before we turn to God. But we have to remember that God is interested in us, and He wants to help us no matter how big or small the situation is. The Holy Spirit, however, is a Gentleman, and He won’t barge in where He has not been asked. David said in Psalm 63:8, “My soul clings to you . . .” (NIV). He trusted God with every detail of his life. And this was how he overcame everything he faced.

When we follow David’s example of communing with God and trusting in Him, we will also find strength in the Lord. It’s as we fellowship with the Greater One that we will realize that we don’t have to try to make things work out on our own. We can be confident that God has us in the palm of His hand, and He will move on our behalf. We can maintain peace, joy, and happiness in the midst of a storm, because we know that God will always take care of us.


Living Worry-Free

Whatever our situation, the Word of God holds our answer. We cannot worry and think on the Word at the same time. We can conquer worry by keeping our thoughts set on God’s Word. To do this, we must:

1) Find scriptures that pertain to our situation.

2) Write these verses down.

3) Read these verses aloud—not in a whisper—when we’re tempted to worry. We must speak louder than the voice of fear. As we continually confess these verses, our faith in God will rise and our situation will turn around.