So David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam; and when his brothers and all his father’s household heard of it, they went down there to him. Everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him; and he became captain over them. Now there were about four hundred men with him.
— First Samuel 22:1-2
As we consider the individuals who have gathered unto the Lord in our church, we might feel we are a hopeless group. Yet in a similar circumstance, David was able to form the people into a prevailing fighting force.
We can rest assured that there is nothing wrong with those the Lord has brought together in our church. They may appear peculiar and have defects, but this is not the issue. The real issue is whether we know how to work with those the Lord has brought together. Even though David himself seemed hopeless, having lost everything and living as an exile in a cave, he was very clear he was still God’s anointed. This caused him to realize that no one is hopeless. God could work with anyone, including the four hundred who gathered around him. It is crucial for us to realize this also.
Adapted from David: After God’s Heart, pages 62-63.
Monday: “Willing to Remain with the Saints”