1 Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid against the Negeb and against Ziklag. They had overcome Ziklag and burned it with fire 2 and taken captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great. They killed no one, but carried them off and went their way. 3 And when David and his men came to the city, they found it burned with fire, and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. 4 Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep. 5 David’s two wives also had been taken captive, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 6 And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. 7 And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. 8 And David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue after this band? Shall I overtake them?” He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue.” 9 So David set out, and the six hundred men who were with him, and they came to the brook Besor, where those who were left behind stayed. 10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men. Two hundred stayed behind, who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor. ~ 1 Samuel 30:1-10
One of my favorite TV shows of all time is Avatar: The Last Airbender. Each character has a unique and deep storyline that involves some form of growth. One of my favorite episodes is when Zuko and Sokka go to find Sokka’s father in a Fire Nation prison. Sokka feels like giving up because he can’t find his father, and if he stays, he’s risking everyone’s (him, Zuko, Suki) safety and freedom for something that may not happen (finding his father).
In hopes of encouraging Sokka to not give up, Zuko tells him this:
Zuko: Look, you’re going to fail a lot before things work out…
Sokka: This is supposed to make me feel better?!?!
Zuko: Even though you’ll probably fail over and over again…
Sokka: Seriously, you’re not helping!
Zuko: You have to try every time. You can’t quit because you’re afraid you might fail.
In the end, Sokka decides to stay, free his father from the Fire Nation prison, and lead everyone to freedom. If he had left, he would never have been reunited with his father or freed him. It looked impossible. It was dangerous, but in the end, it was worth it. Our lives are much like this.
We are each called to do things that scare us. Things that we can’t ignore. Things that we can’t just let go. Usually, these things are to take us to the next level. They’re to get back something that the enemy has taken from us. So, go in the confidence of the LORD. Sokka had his friends to help him, but you have the LORD God Almighty. You have the Great I Am.
Peace. Love. Go Forth and Go In The Confidence of The LORD.