Good morning friends.
I don't know who needs this today, but sometimes a closed door isn't rejection.
It's protection.
God has been speaking that to me alot lately. I know it's for me personally but I also believe there are others that need to hear it and get it in their spirit too.
David had spent months living among the Philistines because fear convinced him it was safer there. And now he was standing at the edge of a battle he never should have been fighting. He was prepared to march into war against his own people.
But God shut the door.
The Philistines sent him home. At the time, it probably didn't feel like protection.It probably felt confusing, maybe even disappointing. But what David didn't know was that God was rescuing him from a battle that wasn't his to fight. And then he got home. Only to find Ziklag burned to the ground.
His wives were gone. His children were gone. Everything they owned had been taken. And as if that wasn't enough, the very men who had followed him wanted to stone him to death.
I think this may have been one of David's lowest moments. Samuel has passed away. He doesn't have Jonathan at his side.
No cheering crowd and No one telling him it would all be okay.
And that's when one of my favorite verses comes in. "But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God."
Sometimes there isn't a Jonathan to strengthen you. Sometimes your friends don't understand. Sometimes the people you thought would stand beside you are hurting too.
There will be seasons when you have to preach to your own soul. You have to remember what God has done. You have to remind yourself of what He said. You have to encourage yourself in the Lord. Because borrowed faith will only take you so far.
Eventually, you have to know Him for yourself. And I love what happened next.
David finally stopped running on fear and started seeking God again.
He asked "Shall I pursue?" And God answered
"Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and recover all."
Recover all.
Not some. Not a little.
All!
Maybe you've walked through a season where fear led you on a detour. Maybe you're staring at ashes where life used to be. Maybe you're grieving what feels lost.
Can I remind you of something today...
A closed door doesn't mean God has abandoned you. Ashes don't mean your story is over. And detours don't disqualify you. The same God who protected David from the wrong battle, strengthened him in his lowest moment, and helped him recover all is still writing redemption stories today.
So encourage yourself in the Lord today.
Seek Him again.
Pursue what He puts in front of you. Because what the enemy meant for destruction, God is still able to redeem.
Faith Anchors. Hope Moves. Chains Break.
LOVE Pastor Mandy
Ark of Hope Ministry
Daily reading 1 Samuel 29-30
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