There's a Crack in Your Armor Perry Stone

HE GOT BURNT After returning from a battle, David discovered that Ziklag had been invaded by the Amalekites, who burned all the houses, took the valuables (spoil) the families owned, captured the wives and children of David and his men, and then fled the scene of their war crimes. As David and his men rode toward the city, a sickening feeling hit the pit of their stomachs when they saw columns of dark smoke and smelled the burning wood. When they arrived to the city, the popping sound of hot embers was replaced by the wails of grown men who had lost everything. Someone was to blame, and all fingers pointed to David. The distressed men made a decision to stone David. This would have been foolish, because stoning David would not bring back their wives and children. Instead of adding to the problem, they should be seeking a solution. This is a real wits’ end situation. After losing the priests, Samuel, the hiding place—now everything is gone! David remembered that Abiathar had the ephod, a garment with stones that the priests used to inquire of the Lord (1 Sam. 30:7). After hitting bottom, David began looking up and sought the Lord for His will. God said, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all” (v. 8). We read that David “encouraged himself in the L ORD his God” (v. 6, KJV ). The three simple steps David followed at Ziklag are a practical application for believers today.