Day 133

1 Samuel 30–31 | Acts 22:22–23:22 | Psalm 56

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There are moments when you break.

When the news is too much.

The grief too deep.

The silence too loud.

The loss too sudden.

The disappointment too sharp.

And you feel it in your chest—that heavy ache of being completely undone.

That’s where David is in 1 Samuel 30.

He returns to Ziklag to find everything gone.

The city burned.

His wives taken.

His men broken.

And the very people who once called him leader are ready to kill him.

“David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him… each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters.” (v. 6)

No allies.

No comfort.

No way forward.

Just pain.

But the next line might be one of the most powerful in all of Scripture:

“But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.” (1 Samuel 30:6)

Not in circumstances.

Not in control.

Not in clarity.

In the Lord.

I’ve Needed That Lately

Because I know what it’s like to feel that collapse.

To walk through your own burned-out Ziklag.

To hold the weight of silence from someone you love.

To feel pain in your body that just won’t let up.

To write résumés and send applications and wonder if any of it matters.

To stand at the intersection of what you lost and what hasn’t come yet—and have nothing left in you to keep going.

That’s where I’ve been.

There’s no script for moments like this.

No roadmap.

No five-step plan.

There’s only one thing to do: strengthen yourself in the Lord.

That means going to the only One who hasn’t changed.

The only One who hasn’t walked away.

The only One who doesn’t need a reason to love you—He just does.

Strength That Doesn’t Start With Me

In Acts 23, Paul stands before a hostile crowd. He’s misunderstood, misrepresented, mistreated. Again.

But God is there.

“The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, ‘Take courage. As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.’” (Acts 23:11)

The courage Paul needed didn’t come from inside.

It came from the nearness of God.

That’s what I need, too.

Not a pep talk.

Not a platform.

Not proof that it’ll all work out.

Just the presence of God.

When You’re Afraid to Admit It

Psalm 56 gives us permission to name it:

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.” (v. 3)

Not if I’m afraid—when.

David knew what it was to feel panic in his bones.

To feel alone in a crowd.

To cry so much he asked God to bottle his tears.

But he also knew where to turn when the strength was gone.

“In God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?” (v. 11)

So if today feels like a burned-down city…

If the people you counted on are suddenly against you…

If the silence has lasted longer than you thought you could bear…

If you have nothing left to offer but your broken self…

Then take heart.

Not because the pain isn’t real.

But because God still is.

And He is enough.

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Lord, I don’t feel strong. I feel tired. Empty. Bruised. And alone. But You are near. So when I can’t go forward, let me collapse into You. When I feel abandoned, let me trust You haven’t left. When I’m too weak to stand, strengthen me—like You did David, like You did Paul. Be my Rock when everything else gives way. And carry me, one breath at a time. Amen.