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A Key Leadership Secret
Posted by
Bob Fetherlin
,
24 July 2008
·
729 views
An amazing leadership secret is tucked away in 1 Samuel 30. After being pursued for many months by Saul, David and his men were among the Philistines. Even though David had done nothing wrong, the Philistine rulers asked him and his entourage to leave. They departed, marching three days to Ziklag where they anticipated being reunited with their wives and children after a long separation.
To their horror, they arrived at Ziklag to find the city in ashes, and their wives and children gone. The men "wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep" (30:4). Adding insult to injury, David's very loyal men were so upset that they "were talking of stoning him" (30:6). Physically spent and emotionally distraught, these men were in the midst of a horrible situation.
Now here's the secret: "But David found strength in the Lord his God" (30:6b). While the text doesn't tell us how David did this, it's clear David's inner strength was renewed in a moment of desperate need.
How can we do this? I imagine David retreating to a quiet place away from the pressure of leadership . . . for prayer, for renewing his identity as a God-follower and experiencing an intense sense of God's loving presence. I think of David engaging in that which recharged his batteries and refreshed his spirit. He took time and was intentional about finding strength from a source beyond himself . . . God!
What follows is incredible. After inquiring of the Lord, David and his men pursued the Amalekite raiders who had plundered Ziklag. David led his men in recovering everything. All their wives and children were safely returned to them, with no indication of even one casualty on the Hebrew side.
Psalm 78:72 gives us the epitaph of David's leadership: "And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them." One of the secrets resulting in this assessment is David knowing the secret of finding strength in the Lord his God. May we know and practice this same secret!
To their horror, they arrived at Ziklag to find the city in ashes, and their wives and children gone. The men "wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep" (30:4). Adding insult to injury, David's very loyal men were so upset that they "were talking of stoning him" (30:6). Physically spent and emotionally distraught, these men were in the midst of a horrible situation.
Now here's the secret: "But David found strength in the Lord his God" (30:6b). While the text doesn't tell us how David did this, it's clear David's inner strength was renewed in a moment of desperate need.
How can we do this? I imagine David retreating to a quiet place away from the pressure of leadership . . . for prayer, for renewing his identity as a God-follower and experiencing an intense sense of God's loving presence. I think of David engaging in that which recharged his batteries and refreshed his spirit. He took time and was intentional about finding strength from a source beyond himself . . . God!
What follows is incredible. After inquiring of the Lord, David and his men pursued the Amalekite raiders who had plundered Ziklag. David led his men in recovering everything. All their wives and children were safely returned to them, with no indication of even one casualty on the Hebrew side.
Psalm 78:72 gives us the epitaph of David's leadership: "And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them." One of the secrets resulting in this assessment is David knowing the secret of finding strength in the Lord his God. May we know and practice this same secret!
