Once, as recorded in the thirtieth chapter of First Samuel, David and his men had been out fighting battles only to return and find that the Amalekites had attacked their city, taken their families captive, and burned the city to the ground. Everything was either destroyed or gone. If you were to see David and his mighty men all dressed in their battle gear, you would either be thankful that they were on your side or, if you had the misfortune of opposing them, you would be shaking in your sandals! These were all, to a man, mighty warriors. David was not the only giant slayer among them. The Word of God (2 Samuel 21:22) informs us there were four other giants that were dealt with by David and his men. That could be why David chose five stones when he faced Goliath, he could have just been getting ready for the rest of the family when the time came!
With this in mind, let’s take a look at the scene when these men come home to find everything burned and their families taken captive. They wept. Not just a little polite sobbing, they lifted their voices and wept. They cried out to God. This continued until they had no more power to weep. Like a balloon being deflated, they wept until they had nothing left.
As is often the case, their grief soon turned to anger and they looked for an outlet for that destructive emotion. They found their target, as it were: they talked of stoning David. Not necessarily because they thought it was his fault, but just because their grief was so all encompassing at the loss of their wives and children.
This brings us to the everlasting arms of God. Sometimes, no matter how mighty we are in battle, we just need to be held by those arms of love. There is nowhere else to turn to; no one who can make everything alright, only the eternal God. You may even face situations, like David, where the ones who normally have your back are themselves just holding on. It is during these times when nothing short of a heavenly hug will bring you through, and that’s just what you will get. And somehow, you know; it’s going to be alright!