Everybody does time in the cave

‘David…escaped to the cave of Adullam.’ 1 Samuel 22:1 NIV

Psychologist Daniel Goleman says that, above all else what distinguishes top performers in every field is their ‘enthusiasm and persistence in the face of setbacks’. Your response to failure is more important than your IQ, looks, charm or money. So why does failure energise some people and paralyse others? For a while, David couldn’t lose – everything he touched turned to gold. Samuel anointed him to be the next king; he defeated Goliath; Saul chose him as a warrior and musician; the army loved him and wrote songs about him. But then he lost it all. His job and his marriage failed; Samuel, his old mentor, died; his best friend Jonathan couldn’t help him and Saul’s soldiers hounded him so much that he had to hide in a cave. Eventually, everybody does time in the cave! It’s where you end up when all your earthly supports are gone; your boss gives you your P45; you’re in debt up to your ears; your dreams have shattered; you’ve lost someone dear to you; your health is failing. But the hardest part about being there is thinking, ‘God’s forgotten me. I’ll never get out. I’ll die here.’ The cave is where you learn things about yourself you could never learn anywhere else. It’s also where God does His best work in moulding and shaping you, because now all your other props are gone. Now all you’ve got is God, and you discover He’s enough! It’s where your worst inadequacies confirm that you’re out of your league, and God sends His power to flow through your weakness. Welcome to the cave. 

Prayer Point:

Lord, I pray that through the times when parts of my life seem as if they are being stripped away, You would truly mould and shape me for the future. I pray that You give me a new sense of purpose. Let me learn about myself in this season, to end up being someone that has a deeper walk with You. Amen. 

Acknowledgements: Goleman, Daniel, Emotional Intelligence (Bantam Books, 2006), 80.