Turning Point
When David and his men reached Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. So David and his men wept aloud until they had no
strength left to weep. David’s two wives had been captured—Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God.
1 Samuel 30:3-6
A while back Forbes Magazine published a list of their “Top 10 Rags-to-Riches Billionaires.” It’s really a neat group of stories to read. Of these 10 influential billionaires:
-1 grew up an orphan
-1 was adopted
-1 was pregnant as a teenager
-1 spent extended time on welfare as an adult (while raising a child)
-2 lost parents in their childhood years
-4 were college drop-outs
-5 were high school or grade school drop-outs
-7 grew up in poverty
In every billionaire’s story, there is a common thread:
A turning point.
Though wildly different in their path to a common financial outcome, every story is the same:
Adversity—TURNING POINT—New Path
I can’t even count the number of zeros in one billion, let alone ever fathom accumulating that much wealth, but I do know this:
Your life’s story is the same as these 10 wealthy people (probably minus the billion dollars part):
Adversity—TURNING POINT—New Path
Life is a continual series of Adversities—Turning Points—New Paths. It’s a vicious, continual cycle.
Maybe you’re in the throes of adversity and you’re dying for a turning point. Maybe you’ve just experienced a turning point and are headed in a new direction. Maybe you’re on a great new path, but adversity is lurking. I’m not sure where you are right now on the continuum.
But I do know this:
There is a TURNING POINT available to us at any time.
There is a biblical character who was the king of turning points. Ironically, he was a king. King David.
David’s story is a perfect case study for the vicious cycle of adversity—turning point—new path. And before David could become a King—the ancient equivalent of being a billionaire—he needed a turning point.
David was on the cusp of becoming King…..but he didn’t know it yet. He found himself in exile and on the run from the evil King Saul. Exhausted from battle and being on the run, David returns to his temporary home of Ziklag to find it destroyed, burned, and ravaged. On top of this, the wives and children of all his men (including his own family) have been taken captive. And as if that weren’t enough, his men begin discussing mutiny—publicly sharing their thoughts of stoning David to death.
But then comes David’s turning point. Aturning point that is available to every single one of us, every single day.
“But David found strength in the Lord his God.” (1 Samuel 30:6)
As you dwell on the Davidic psalms in the Bible, you’ll see a common thread everywhere—turning points. (Here are a few examples:Psalm 3 (verse 3 turning point), Psalm 41(verse 10 turning point), Psalm 56 (verse 3 turning point)) Adversity—turning point—new path. Sorrow—turning point—joy. Grief—turning point—celebration. Fear—turning point—confidence. Sin—turning point—forgiveness.
David knew the source of the ultimate turning point:
God Almighty.
Somewhere in all of our lives, we need a turning point. A new direction. A new path. A new perspective. A changed attitude. Forgiveness. Hope. New life. And it can only one place:
At the feet of our great God.
Today is the day. Today is your turning point! Come to the Father. Like David, find your“strength in the Lord”—the ultimate turning point.
