Proverbs 24:10 says, “If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.” I’m reading through 2 Samuel. As I came to the scene with David’s advisor, I thought about God’s role in our adversities.

One consequence of David’s sin with Bathsheba is found in 2 Samuel 12:11. It says, “…Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house…”

Absalom “…stole the hearts of the men of Israel.” 2 Samuel 15:6. Though deceit he obtained his father’s place in Hebron. David and his men fled Jerusalem. Ahithophel, David’s advisor, also defected to Absalom.

Verse 31 says, “…And David said, O Lord, I pray, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.” Absalom asked a seer named Hushai what to do. 2 Samuel 17:14 says, “…The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than the advice of Ahithophel. For the Lord had purposed to defeat the good advice of Ahithophel, to the intent that the Lord might bring disaster on Absalom.”

When adversity comes to us, we need to pause and ask the Lord what its source is.

True prayer always involves our hearts. I have been memorizing Psalm 59:16-17. Those two verses can easily be sung as new songs. They say, “But I will sing of Your power; yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning; for You have been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble. To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises; for God is my defense, my God of mercy.”

Psalm 146:2 says, “While I live I will praise the Lord; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.” Psalm 29:2 says, “Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.”

Psalm 146-150 all end in, “Praise the Lord!” Worship is not an event, it is a lifestyle. At all times, and in every situation, we can lift up our hearts in worship. The Lord is over all things. He is orchestrating every aspect of our lives for our good.

As we worship Him, we enter into His attributes. Partakers of His nature ~ 2 Peter 1:4.

Another avenue for prayer is using God’s word as we petition Him. Paul wrote out the prayers that he was praying for the various churches. I like to use this one when I am praying for folks that are spiritually struggling.

Colossians 1:10-11 says, “That you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to the glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy.”

When there is a need that only the Lord can fill, I like to use Ephesians 3:20. It says, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.”

What is your need? Emotional, physical, or spiritual needs are the Lord’s realm. He knows our hearts. Psalm 139:2, 4 says that He knows our thoughts before we think them, as well as the words on our tongues before we speak them. Though He knows, He wants us to empty them out at His feet. 

Prayer is an expression from our hearts. Psalm 62:8 says, “Trust in Him at all times. you people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.” Hannah is a great example for us as one who poured out her heart.

1 Samuel 1:10 says, “And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish.” Silently she poured out her heart. Verse 13 says, “Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard…” In verse 16 she told Eli the priest, “I…poured out my soul before the Lord.”

Our tear are precious to the Lord. Psalm 56:8 says, “You number my wanderings; put my tears in Your bottle; are they not written in your book.” Interesting verse to ponder. Psalm 34:6 says, “This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.”

Our cries from desperation are noted by the Lord. Crying out is the language of need, that has no human answers ~ only through Divine Intervention. 

Prayer is a kneeling heart that acknowledges absolute dependence on the Lord. Our reminder comes from John 15:5, “…for without Me you can do nothing.” Prayer is a posture of humility. Here are three quotes from three men who had a lifestyle of prayer.

Every great movement of God can be traced to a kneeling figure.— D.L. Moody. All things else being equal, our prayers are only as powerful as our lives. In the long pull we only pray as well as we live.—A. W. Tozer. Prayer is God’s plan to supply man’s great and continuous need with God’s great and continuous abundance.— E. M. Bounds.

Samuel addressed the children of Israel after he presented Saul as their king. Then he warned them to not turn aside from following the Lord. 1 Samuel 12:20-21. Verse 23 says, “Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you…”

1 Thessalonians 5:17 is a command. It says, “Pray without ceasing.” May our hearts remain kneeled before the Lord in absolute dependence.

As Samuel turned away from Saul, Saul seized the edge of his robe and tore it. Samuel said, “…The Lord  has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you.” 1 Samuel 15:28.

The Lord chose David to fulfill His words through Samuel. “…The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart…” 1 Samuel 13:14. Many of the psalms were written from David’s heart cries. 

Psalm 86:11 is one we can adopt. It says, “Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name.” David was asking the Lord to give him singleness of heart. 

As we pursue the Lord’s heart through intimate communion, our hearts will align with His purposes for our lives. It is an interchange of Heart to heart. John 15:15 says, “…I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.” Are you listening? In your ear attentive and inclined to His heartbeat?

Saul was chosen by God to lead the children of Israel. He was instructed to utterly destroy the Amalekites, and all their livestock ~ not sparing any. 1 Samuel 15:9 says, “…were not willing to utterly destroy them.”

Samuel confronted Saul’s disobedience. Saul blame-shifted in verse 21. It says, “But the people…” Those are words we need to take to heart. Verse 23 says, “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry…” 

Witchcraft is controlling others with a spirit other than the Holy Spirit. Isaiah 30:15 says, “…In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength. But you would not…”

Jesus is our example of heart obedience. He prayed in the garden, “…O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”

Does your heart say, “nevertheless” when you battle your flesh? Psalm 119:10 is a great prayer. It says, “With my whole heart I have sought You; oh, let me not wander from Your commandments.”

God is a Mighty Warrior. Isaiah 59:16-17 says, “…His own arm brought salvation for Him; and His own righteousness, it sustained Him. For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head; He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak.”

He always goes before us. Psalm 85:13 says, “Righteousness goes before Him, and shall make His footsteps our pathway.” Through Paul, He gave us warriors His armor. Ephesians 6:10-18. That is His protection for us as we do battle against the enemy of our souls.

The devil wars against us through deceptions. That is why James encouraged his readers to be doers of the word and not hearers only, “…deceiving yourselves.” James 1:22. Is your sword ready to fight? Do you have His word deeply embedded in your heart?

Remember what Gideon and his men shouted? They heard what was being said in the enemy’s camp. Judges 7:14. It became their battle cry. Verse 20 says, “…The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!”

The Lord has given us His word, like a sharp two-edged sword. Hebrews 4:12. Yet there are other places where it speaks of His sword. Ezekiel 21:9 says, “Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus says the Lord! Say: A sword, a sword is sharpened and also polished!

Verse 15 says, “I have set the point of the sword against all their gates…” Verse 16 says, “Swords at the ready! Thrust right! Set your blade! Thrust left—wherever your sword is ordered!”

Though this is speaking about Israel, I want to bring personal application. Isaiah 28:6 says, “…for strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.” Let’s go back to verse 16. Picture it like God’s word that is hidden in your hearts.

As the enemy approaches with his suggestions of enticement to sin, we whip out our sword-verses and whack them to pieces. Psalm 18:40-42 is very picturesque. Think now of the dangling lying lures. Verse 42 says, “Then I beat them as fine as the dust before the wind; I cast them out like dirt in the streets.”

As I think about the Lord being our shield, my mind goes to Psalm 91:1. It says, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” Verse 4 says, “He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.”

Remember what Boaz said? Ruth 2:12 says, “The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.” The above three verses are talking about who or what we place our trust in.

Our faith is always under attack. That is why the Lord provided a shield for us. Think of something the size of a door on its side. It is covered in pitch. As the flaming arrow hits, it is extinguished immediately. I call it ‘my door-shield of faith.’

The Holy Spirit dwells within. He knows the fiery dart is coming. He fortifies and strengthens our faith as we hide God’s word in our hearts.