Title: David Prayed
Memorize: So David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?” And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.” 1 Samuel 30:8 (Nkjv)
Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 30:6-18 (Nkjv)
[6] Now 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 his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.
[7] Then David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, “Please bring the ephod here to me.” And Abiathar brought the ephod to David.
[8] So David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?” And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.”
[9] So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and came to the Brook Besor, where those stayed who were left behind.
[10] But David pursued, he and four hundred men; for two hundred stayed behind, who were so weary that they could not cross the Brook Besor.
[11] Then they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David; and they gave him bread and he ate, and they let him drink water.
[12] And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. So when he had eaten, his strength came back to him; for he had eaten no bread nor drunk water for three days and three nights.
[13] Then David said to him, “To whom do you belong, and where are you from?” And he said, “I am a young man from Egypt, servant of an Amalekite; and my master left me behind, because three days ago I fell sick.
[14] We made an invasion of the southern area of the Cherethites, in the territory which belongs to Judah, and of the southern area of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.”
[15] And David said to him, “Can you take me down to this troop?” So he said, “Swear to me by God that you will neither kill me nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will take you down to this troop.”
[16] And when he had brought him down, there they were, spread out over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil which they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah.
[17] Then David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled.
[18] So David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David rescued his two wives.
Message:
In today’s passage, David and his men returned from battle to find their camp raided and their families taken captive. Heartbroken, they wept until they had no more strength. But in the middle of his distress, David encouraged himself in the Lord his God. Instead of rushing into action, he first sought God’s direction. When David asked if he should pursue the enemies, God answered, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.”
This teaches us something important: even when we face challenges that are not caused by sin, the right response is prayer. Some Christians, when faced with trouble, say, “Let’s face reality first and leave God out for now.” But David did the opposite—he turned to God first and received victory.
My dear child, when you face pain, failure, discouragement, or any form of setback, who do you turn to first? Friends? Complaints? Or prayer? Always remember that prayer connects you to God’s power, provision, and restoration. Don’t ever stop praying.
Key Point:
In every distressing situation, the best response is prayer.
Bible Quiz:
A Christian goes through bad moments only because of sin. True or False?
Hymn 4: Conquerors and overcomers now are we
Bible In One Year: Isaiah 15:1–18:7, Galatians 1:1–24
Authors: Pastor E. A. Adeboye and Pastor Folu Adeboye