Troubles come to each of us. But with Jesus, you can have victory over the trials and tribulations in your life.
Troubles From Without
King David and his men were hiding in a cave when they heard King Saul’s army approaching. Saul was deeply jealous of David. After David won a great victory, the people sang, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” Saul took that as a slight, grew jealous, and threw spears at David on a couple of occasions, forcing David to flee for his life.
While 600 of David’s men waited silently in the cave, Saul walked inside alone to relieve himself. One of David’s men whispered, “Your enemy is here. You can get him now.” But David replied, “I will not touch the Lord’s anointed.” Instead, he secretly cut off a piece of Saul’s robe.
After Saul left and was a safe distance away, David called out from the entrance, holding up the piece of garment: “Why are you chasing me? Don’t you understand that I don’t want to kill you? I had my chance just a few minutes ago.”
Saul, who struggled with jealousy and periods of mental instability, had a lucid moment. He said, “David, my son, you have been more righteous than I because you spared my life.”
Yet David still faced troubles from without. After returning home, Saul began to dwell on what happened, letting it fester. He thought, “I should have attacked him. I had thousands of men, and he only had 600.” When he heard where David was, Saul set out with his army once again.
That night, David and his man Abishai slipped into Saul’s camp under the cover of darkness. They found the army asleep in a protective ring around King Saul, his spear stuck in the ground by his head. Abishai said, “Here’s your chance again. God has delivered your enemy into your hands.” But David answered, “No. I will not do it. He is still the Lord’s anointed.”
David took Saul’s spear and water jug and slipped away. At daybreak, David called out from a nearby hillside, “King Saul! I could have killed you today. Send someone up here to get your spear and your water jug.”
Once again, God delivered David. Knowing Saul would likely try again, David prayed:
“Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me;
O Lord, make haste to help me!
Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion who seek to destroy my life…
Let those who love Your salvation continually say, ‘The Lord be glorified.’”
— Psalm 40:13–15
We can experience trouble from without in our own lives: at work, through jealousy, or when issues aren’t worked through and people become enemies. The hardest trouble to handle comes from people who misunderstand you and believe you’re trying to harm them when you’re not.
Troubles From Within
Then there is the struggle from within:
“For innumerable evils have surrounded me;
My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up;
They are more than the hairs of my head…”
— Psalm 40:12
Many times, the problems we face are of our own making. We have all sinned and come short of the glory of God, and we know that the wages of sin is death. That inner struggle is the pull of sin within our lives, and sin must be forgiven and dealt with.
Paul describes this same struggle in Romans 7. He notes that there are things he knows he ought to do that he doesn’t do, and things he shouldn’t do that he finds himself doing. He asks, “Who shall deliver me from this body of sin and death?” Then he answers, “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
David viewed his own iniquities as too many to count, yet earlier in the Psalm he said, “It is written in the book; I have come to do Your will.” He came to the Lord. That’s the answer for us, too.
Mark Twain once said, “There are many things in the Bible that are hard to understand. My problem is not with the things I don’t understand, but with the things I do understand.”
The Serenity Prayer speaks to this as well: “Lord, help me to accept the things I cannot change” (troubles from without), “give me the courage to change the things I can” (struggles from within), and “give me the wisdom to know the difference.”
Victory in Jesus
In the opening verses of Psalm 40, David writes of experiencing joy and salvation:
“I waited patiently for the Lord;
And He inclined to me, and heard my cry.
He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
Out of the miry clay,
And set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps.”
— Psalm 40:1–2
David described being down in a horrible pit of miry clay. That clay is slick and slippery; if you try to move, you’re in danger of falling, or your feet become stuck.
Sometimes we get stuck in our lives, whether in dealing with other people or dealing with ourselves. Other times, we are walking on slippery places where our faith slips and slides. But God brings us up out of that miry clay and sets our feet firmly upon a rock. Through every struggle, we can have victory through Jesus Christ.
Tell Others About That Victory
When God delivers us and gives us victory over troubles without and struggles within, our response should be to praise Him and share it:
“He has put a new song in my mouth:
Praise to our God;
Many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord.”
— Psalm 40:3
David said, “I have proclaimed Your righteousness in the great congregation.” When we receive that victory, we ought to go out and tell others about the brand-new life we have in Him.