Could There Be a Divine Purpose Behind That Disappointment?

Sometimes disappointments happen however we don’t know that there is a divine purpose behind it.
On the other hand sometimes we go through hardships, but the Lord turns it around for His own glory. Many of us are familiar with the scripture in 1 Samuel 30; 6 “but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God”. 

Now let’s look at the background of that verse.

David was in the land of the Philistines because he felt that was the best place to hid from Saul (1 Samuel 27; 1). The Philistines then had to go to war and all went to Shunem including David. David volunteered to go along and help them at war but he was refused.

1 Samuel 29; 6- 11
Then Achish called David, and said unto him, Surely, as the Lord liveth, thou hast been upright, and thy going out and thy coming in with me in the host is good in my sight: for I have not found evil in thee since the day of thy coming unto me unto this day: nevertheless the lords favour thee not.
7 Wherefore now return, and go in peace, that thou displease not the lords of the Philistines.
8 And David said unto Achish, But what have I done? and what hast thou found in thy servant so long as I have been with thee unto this day, that I may not go fight against the enemies of my lord the king?
9 And Achish answered and said to David, I know that thou art good in my sight, as an angel of God: notwithstanding the princes of the Philistines have said, He shall not go up with us to the battle.
10 Wherefore now rise up early in the morning with thy master's servants that are come with thee: and as soon as ye be up early in the morning, and have light, depart.
So David and his men rose up early to depart in the morning, to return into the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.
 
So we can see that David was refused to offer his assistance to the Philistines and was told to go back to the land of where he was hiding.

It was on his way back on the 3rd day , that David and his men arrived Ziklag and found out that their wives and everything they had had been stolen.

1 Samuel 30; 1-6
And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire;
2 And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.
3 So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.
4 Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.
5 And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.
 
We all know the end of this account. David was able to recover all.

Had David gone to war with the Philistines, he probably would not have returned on time to recover his wives and children who had been taken captive.

What a marvellous God we served.

When David was refused permission to go and fight, he had no idea that the Lord was preserving his seed and the seed of the men that followed him.

What good would it have been if after fighting, he lost his wives and all the other men, their wives, sons and daughters?

This is why we can give thanks to God in all things, even when we don’t understand what is going on.
We can see clearly here that the Lord had a greater agenda.

Sometimes situations are actually disguised to bring greater glory to the Lord.
        © Bisi Oladipupo 23rd June 2020

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