Winning Before You Win

➤ by Isabel Jennings

How did David win when it all looked lost? The Bible says that he encouraged himself in the Lord. Can you do that?

Things had started off going well for David. He was the youngest brother in his family of 8 brothers, and the Prophet Samuel had arrived at his house for a sacrifice. After going through each brother, one-by-one, Samuel had asked if there were any more brothers.

David was so unimportant and overlooked, that when Samuel had arrived for the sacrifice, they hadn’t even called David in from his duties as a shepherd. When he was brought in from the field, the Lord told Samuel that THIS was the man He had chosen as king for Israel, and Samuel anointed him king.

Fast forward, and David has a historic victory killing a Philistine giant threatening to overtake Israel and then marries King Saul’s daughter. 

Everything was improving. He was no longer in the fields, but in the palace. He was married to Princess Michal. Everything was going well until the king started to hear songs written about David: Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands, 1 Samuel 18:7 NKJV, and King Saul’s jealousy rose strongly and swiftly against David.

He would not tolerate any threat to his throne and so he plots to kill David. But one plan after another fails, and before long the king has unashamedly given up his secret attempts to murder David and openly started tracking David to outright kill him.

And David said in his heart, “Now I shall perish someday by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape to the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me anymore in any part of Israel, 1 Samuel 27:1 NKJV.

Have you ever said, “it can’t get any worse than this”, but, then it does? 

David and his men move to Philistine and plead allegiance to their enemy, King Achish and when King Achish heads off to war, he takes his new servants to the battlefield.

The other Philistine kings balk at the thought of having David on the battlefield. They worried that David might defect and use this battle as a perfect opportunity to redeem himself in King Saul’s eyes, by attacking them from within.

King Achish gives in to their lack of confidence in David and sends him and his men back to the City of Ziklag, where they lived in Philistine. 

Your Worst Days Do Not Have to Define You

When we open the scriptures to 1 Samuel 30, this is the backstory to where we find David. He was in the middle of the worst time of his life. This wasn’t just another bad day. This wasn’t just a rough patch. This was the kind of day that could break a man.

David was running for his life from Saul. He was living with his enemy, in enemy territory, and he was a warrior who was not allowed to fight. He returns from a trip that was supposed to be a victory, only to find his city burned to the ground. All their families had been taken hostage. All their cattle were gone.

His own men, the very ones who had followed him through thick and thin, were ready to stone him for leading them away from their families when they needed protection.

Everything seemed lost and hopeless.

How do you win, before you see the win?

1. Turn your eyes to the Lord

David did something very powerful, in his moment of despair. He didn’t tear his clothes in mourning and give in to the hopelessness. He didn’t resign himself to defeat. The Bible says that he did something many of us forget to do when we’re facing our own "worst day" — he encouraged himself in the Lord. He found strength in his relationship with God. 

What does that even look like?

It’s not just about saying, “Oh, everything’s fine,” when it’s not. It’s about reminding yourself of who God is. It’s about remembering how awesome and powerful and almighty God is and remembering what He’s already done for you. It’s about looking back at the victories God has already brought you through and using them to fuel your faith forward, towards what you are facing today.

David didn’t forget the lion and the bear. He didn’t forget how God had anointed him as king, even when his own brothers looked down on him and his father forgot about him in the fields. He didn’t forget how Goliath had been defeated with a sling and a stone, and he sure didn’t forget how time after time, God had outsmarted Saul’s attempts to kill him. He remembered the Psalms he had written: The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want … He restores my soul, Psalm 23:1-3 NKJV.

When everything around you looks bleak, it’s time to pull out your own spiritual history books and remind yourself of the victories God has given you. You have your own story, and your own powerful testimony of what God has already done.

• You’ve already seen God intervene.
• You’ve seen God heal.
• You’ve seen God repair and resolve issues.

If God has done it before, He can certainly do it again. Your story isn’t over yet.

2. Pray

David encouraged himself in the Lord. He remembered what God had done for him before, but he didn’t stop there. He turned to God and prayed: “What do I do next, Lord? Should I pursue them? Should I go after these men who took our families?” (1Sam 30:8). And God spoke to him with direction.

Do you need direction? Look back at what God has done to encourage your faith, but then look ahead and ask, “God, what’s next for me? What do You want me to do in this moment?” 

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you, James 1:5 NIV.

When you ask, be ready to listen for the answer. 

3. Keep Going

Sometimes, you may not feel like you have the strength to keep going. It’s okay to rest, but don’t stay in the place of defeat. You’ve got to get back up. You need to keep going.

Don’t give up. David was weary. He was worn down, but he didn’t stop. He got up and followed God’s direction, pursuing the enemy.  

Look for what God has already placed in your path.

Even in your tiredness and weakness, God will strengthen you to keep going. And sometimes, the very thing others are overlooking, might be exactly what you need to move forward towards victory.

David found an abandoned Egyptian servant on the side of the road. Everyone else might have seen him as dying and worthless, but David saw an opportunity for information. That sick servant led them straight to their enemies’ camp, and that was the turning point of this battle.

You may feel like you’ve lost everything, but that insignificant thing could be the key to your breakthrough.

When David came upon the enemy’s camp, they were relishing about their big win. Your enemy may be celebrating your defeat right now too, but when you keep going, when you encourage yourself in the Lord, when you pray, you’re going over that hill and are going to silence the rejoicing of your adversary.

You’re going to recover what the enemy stole from you, what was lost and more. David didn’t just get his families back. He got everything back. He recovered all, plus everything from every other town that the enemy had plundered. David took back all the spoils. He went home with more than he expected.

God has a plan for your life, even when you can’t see it. Even when it feels like everything is lost, God is working behind the scenes. Sometimes, He might have to remove you from a situation, like He did with David, so that He can set you up for a greater victory.

What might feel like a setback can be God’s set-up for something bigger than you could ever imagined.

So don’t give up.

Don’t quit. 

Encourage yourself in the Lord.

Remember the victories He’s already won for you, seek His guidance, keep moving forward, and don’t discount the little things. Your breakthrough is closer than you think. 

The worst day of David’s life wasn’t the end of his story. It was the beginning of something even greater. And the same is true for you. 

Then my enemies will turn back on the day when I call; This I know, that God is for me, Psalm 56:9 NASB.

Just keep going. 

From the article, Vencer Antes de Vencer, by Isabel Jennings

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Unless stated otherwise, all Bible passages quoted in orange are from the KJV translation.

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