When Our Strength Is Gone

WHEN OUR STRENGTH IS GONE

YOGI BERRA QUOTES: (Yogi was a catcher for the New York Yankees)

• I really didn’t say everything I said.

• You should always go to other people’s funerals. Otherwise they won’t come to yours.

• Never answer an anonymous letter.

• If you come to a fork in the road, take it.

• It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.

THE BIG IDEA:

What do you do when your strength is gone, and you lose your hope, joy, peace and victory? God’s Word gives us four keys to restoring our strength and victory.

BIBLE STORY:

“Now it happened, when David and his men came to Ziklag, on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the South and Ziklag, attacked Ziklag and burned it with fire, and had taken captive the women and those who were there, from small to great; they did not kill anyone, but carried them away and went their way. So David and his men came to the city, and there it was, burned with fire; and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive. Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep. And David’s two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had been taken captive. 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…” (1 Samuel 30:1-6a).

• How many of you know that David was having a really bad day here?

• He lost everything – his home, his family, and his friends were talking about killing him.

• The details of David’s story may be slightly different from yours, but the principles he used to restore his strength and victory will work for you today.

• What area are you struggling in? Finances? Relationships? Health? Parenting?

• Storms are going to come in your life. Don’t give up! There is HOPE for you today…

FOUR KEYS TO RESTORING YOUR STRENGTH AND VICTORY:

1. Encourage yourself in the Lord.

“But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.” (v.6).

How do you do that?

“Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance.” (Psalm 42:5).

• Meditate on who you are in Christ (see appendix at end of notes).

• Look at what happened when the children of Israel spied out the Promised Land:

- Caleb said: “Let us go up at once… for we are well able to overcome it.”(Num. 13:30).

- The 10 spies said: “There we saw the giants… and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.” (Num. 13:30).

- we can change the way we think about ourselves by meditating on who we are in Christ.

2. Reach out to the people of God.

“Then David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, "Please bring the ephod here to me." And Abiathar brought the ephod to David.” (v.7).

• The church is here to provide hope, healing and restoration to hurting people.

• STORY: When Liza and I were first married, we had a flood in our basement suite, and we didn’t have insurance at the time. Our church helped us out financially.

• As a pastor, I am here for you. If you need prayer, counseling, encouragement, call me anytime – my door is always open!

3. Look to the Lord.

“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.” (v.8).

“Therefore I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; My God will hear me.” (Micah 7:7).

• This is one of my favourite encouraging Scriptures. Look to the Lord in prayer!

• When you’re in trouble, where do you look to for help and hope? Some people turn to drugs or alcohol. Some people might even turn to horoscopes or fortune tellers.

• But Psalm 121 says, “Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord.”

• WAIT – sometimes we need to wait from the time we pray until God answers.

• PROMISE – “My God will hear me.”

• In the church today, many say, “WILL my God hear me?” The answer is yes!

• God gave David a promise, and it motivated him to press on and pursue his enemies.

• God has given us many promises in His Word: Call on His name, He is mighty to save!