From Tragedy to Triumph

David is one of the most exciting and captivating figures in the entirety of Scripture, yet he is somewhat of a paradox. He was one of the world’s godliest people, yet still committed some of the cruelest sins in Scripture. The results of one of those immoral acts led to one of the most heartbreaking moments in his life—an internal rebellion led by his son, Absalom. After returning from exile, Absalom used his charisma and attractive features to turn the hearts of the people against David. He declared that he could rule the nation better than his father. The coup eventually caused David to leave the palace in disgrace and heartbroken, as well as the deaths of thousands of people.
However, instead of dealing with Absalom, I want to relate to you the attitude of David and what he did, which should bring encouragement to many of you today. God would turn David’s tragedy into triumph, and if we believe Him, God can do the same for us.

The Attack
When David left the palace in shame, and his son, intent on usurping authority from him, David took his anguish and afflictions to the Lord. If we notice in Psalm 3:1-2, we find the terms increased and many three times, which tell us that David was outnumbered and outmatched. Not only was Absalom spearheading this revolt, but every one of David’s internal enemies came out against him. They proclaimed God’s hand was no longer on David and that God was judging him for his misdeeds and David was now out of favor with God. Abandoned and forsaken by his kingdom, David did the only thing he could do, pray.
Every believer should note David’s response to this horrific ordeal and apply it to his everyday life. We cannot handle life’s problems on our own, and God does not expect us to try, but He desires that we turn to Him to meet and provide for our every need.
At the same time, we need to understand that if David was not immune to the enemy’s attacks, then neither are we. Regardless of how long we have lived for God or if our faith is anchored in Christ and the cross, we are not exempt from trials. We are to expect the fiery trials that come our way (I Pet. 4:12).
These afflictions do not merely happen; they are designed with wisdom and love to grow our faith. As we have mentioned many times, every attack leveled against us by the enemy is not against us but rather against our faith. Satan desires to severely weaken or ultimately destroy your faith. The reason is that you are a threat to his kingdom, and he wants nothing more than to remove you from existence. Satan directs his most vicious onslaughts against those called by God, which God calls every believer. All faith must be tested, and God uses adversity at times to bring that test about to see how we will act and react to the present problem. That is why it is necessary to bring every single issue, heartache, trial, pain, or anguish to Him. He is the only one who can help during the time of our trouble.

A Declaration Of Faith
However, the moment that David took this excruciating circumstance before the Lord, his outlook began to change, and it started with the word but. It is a simple yet powerful word that changes the entire ambiance of this psalm from hopelessness to hope, from weakness to power, and ultimately from tragedy to triumph. That one three-letter word catalogs a change in David’s attitude, presents a declaration of faith, and signifies that what David experienced was not the end of his story. David cried unto God that He alone was his shield, his protector; God was his best confidence during those trying times. David knew that he could not rely upon his standing army or the lack thereof, and neither could he rely upon his skills as a warrior. Still, he relied upon his God to be his shield and protector.
Interestingly, there were two types of shields used by Hebrew warriors, a large one and a handheld one. The large shield was designed for the warrior to hide behind. In contrast, the warrior used the smaller one to stave off arrows and soften or absorb potentially fatal strikes from a sword. The type of shield David refers to is the latter, the smaller shield able to absorb and stave off deadly enemy strikes. In Psalm 3, David is saying that with the Lord as his shield, He would shield David from being struck by the enemy and that God would personally absorb the blows intended for David. David believed that God was all-sufficient protection in the appearance of distress.

God Is Your Best Confidence
Dear Christian, believe today that God is your shield and protector. He is your best confidence amid trial, and whatever might have happened in your life that caused you pain and heartache, realize that this is not the end of your story. When you call on the Lord of glory, He will be your shield and take the blows that you should have taken, and He will rise to absorb the impact that you should have felt. Our God will be our all-sufficient protection in times of adversity. We may not be fully aware of what is happening around us; we may not understand what the future holds, but when we turn our eyes toward our Creator, He will be our shield and the lifter of our heads. He will lift our heads out of the pit of despair and bring us into the victory that we desperately need.
God has not changed His mind about you. If He has given you a promise of victory and blessing, then hold to that promise, for He will never neglect a promise.
As a result of bringing our needs before Him and making a faith declaration that God is our shield and protector and the lifter of our heads, we can do as David did and put forth a cry of confidence that God will deliver. While David looked and believed for God’s protection, he also believed in God for victory.
When we face the Absaloms of life, and when we are experiencing our darkest moments, that is the time where we should look to our God who will provide peace. We can proceed with confidence, knowing that what God has done in the past, He can do in the present. Through simple faith in Christ and what He has done for us at Calvary’s cross, He can turn our darkest tragedies into our greatest triumphs.

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