What To Do On The Worst Day Of Your Life

Aug 23, 2023

Like many of you, I cannot get our brothers and sisters in Maui off my heart.

The magnitude of this tragedy goes so far beyond anything they have ever seen, heard, or experienced, that the possibility of losing hope is all too real. To that end… I offer this devotional… this story… in 1 Samuel 30… for them, and for all of us, who at some point, may find ourselves living through The Worst Day of Our Lives.

David and his 600 mighty warriors had been away on a very long but successful military campaign. As they approached their beloved hometown of Ziglag, they were astonished to see a huge, ominous black cloud rising up over their town – the town where their wives and children lived. Racing to the gates of their city, they were horrified to discover that their town had been burned to the ground… their homes smouldering ashes… dead bodies lying in the streets… and their wives and children kidnapped and carried off by the Amalekites. As David stood in the rubble and the ruin of his family, his home, his town… on the worst day of his life… David made four choices that kept hope alive and moved him through the worst day to a better day.

First: David wept.

You may not think this is a big deal but 1 Samuel 30:4 says that David and his mighty warriors did not just shed a few tears, but they "wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep." Some people think that if you live by faith it shouldn't affect your emotions – that people of faith don't let things shake them up. There's a theological word for that: "Baloney!" Listen… When real tragedy hits your life, it will shake you to the core… and you will weep. You need to weep! Your tears are a prayer… an invitation for God to do what you cannot do!

Second: David refused to get bitter.

1 Samuel 30:6 says that the men were so upset that their families and homes had been destroyed that they became bitter and blamed David… and threatened to kill him. So many people, when tragedy strikes, get bitter towards people or towards God. You ever get mad at God and give Him the silent treatment? When I was a little kid, I got mad at my dad and decided not to speak to him for a whole week. Later, Dad said it was the most peaceful week he had had in a long time. On the worst day of his life, David refused to get bitter.

Third: David encouraged himself in the LORD.

What do you do when a loved one dies, when your business fails, when a divorce happens, when your health collapses… when you've lost everything? 1 Samuel 30:6 says that on the worst day of his life, "David encouraged himself in the LORD." That is… he did not talk the disaster of man. He talked the deliverance of God… the faithfulness of God… the goodness of God… the love of God… the promises of God. David knew that praising God in the darkness is the difference between staying bitter or getting better!

Fourth: David sought a word from the LORD.

On the worst day of his life, 1 Samuel 30:8 says that David went to the priest and "he inquired of the LORD, 'Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?' 'And the LORD answered him, 'Pursue: for you shall surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.'" (KJV). When tragedy strikes, all we can see is the loss… all we feel is the emptiness… all we know is the sadness. David knew that his only hope of ever seeing better in his future… of ever seeing blessed in his tomorrow… of ever seeing the sun shine again… was getting a fresh vision from God. So… he inquired of the LORD… and the LORD answered.

Long story short… a fierce battle ensued as David and his men chased down the Amalekites. But 1 Samuel 30:18-20 says, "David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken including his wives [and all their children]… flocks and herds."

So… was everything the same as it was before? Absolutely not! Life would never be the same again. Their town was still gone… their homes were still destroyed… so many of their friends had perished. No, life would never be the same… BUT…

What David teaches us is that we can know… even on the worst day of our lives… that with God as our Redeemer… life can one day be good again!