SCRIPTURE:

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (NIV)
9 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: 10 If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. 11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? 12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

James 5:16 (NIV)
16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

DEVO:

We pick up today with our friend, David, who is hunkered down in the cave of Adullam., running and hiding for his life after being emotionally wounded by his father-in-law and mentor, King Saul. Scripture tells us that while he was in the cave, several other men who were in distress, in-debt, and discontented gathered around him. Hurting men congregated around a fellow hurting man to form a community.

 Often when a community is formed with a foundation of hurt, what ensues is a hotbed of dysfunction. Hurt people tend to lash out in selfishness and perpetuate their hurt onto others. I’ve heard it said that hurt people hurt people. Yet, in David’s life, these men chose instead to let their hurt fuel them to help David. You see, hurt people can hurt people, but hurt people can also heal people. There’s just one problem, however: David didn’t want to accept their help. Whether he was ashamed that he was in a desperate situation or he was afraid to drop the pretense of perfection, he refused to receive the help made available to him. Here’s how the story goes:

“During harvest time, three of the thirty chief warriors came down to David at the cave of Adullam, while a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. At that time David was in the stronghold, and the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem. David longed for water and said, ‘Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!’ So the three mighty warriors broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out before the Lord. ‘Far be it from me, Lord, to do this!” he said. “Is it not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?’ And David would not drink it.” (2 Samuel 23:13-17)

The symbolism in this passage is powerful! David longed for water. But not just any water. Water from a well in Bethlehem – his hometown. It wasn’t just the water he longed for. He longed for a taste of the old life. The life before he was broken, before he was commissioned into Saul’s service, oppressed, used, and betrayed. He longed for a taste of a time when he was whole. He wanted refreshment. He was parched, dry, emotionally dehydrated, and needed something that he couldn’t retrieve for himself.

 Sometimes we have to be willing to admit that we can’t actually provide for ourselves the healing that we need. That kind of healing can only come from a community of people around us that are willing to risk their own vulnerability and exposure to help us in our time of need. God created us to be connected to each other. He never intended for us to do this alone. In fact, it’s quite impossible to remain isolated and still thrive in life. It’s been said that God heals us 80% and then gives us relationships with others to do the rest. While I’m not sure how exact that 80% number is, I think scripture shows us evidence that the principle is true. If we want to find forgiveness from our past we need to confess our sins to God, but James, the brother of Jesus, wrote in his book that if we want true healing from our past, it requires us to confess to others (James 5:16). This happens in the context of a strong, authentic, trusting biblical community.

 In 2 Samuel 23, David found himself surrounded and overwhelmed by a vicious enemy, but in the midst of it he failed to see the thirty strong friends who had surrounded him while he was surrounded. David’s men didn’t shoot him when he was wounded. They didn’t accuse him for the mess he’d found himself in. They didn’t condemn him for not having it all together. Instead, David’s mighty men stood by his side. This is what a healthy church community can do for you. They didn’t want anything from David, they just cared for him.

 Only one person stood in the way of David receiving the refreshment his community provided – himself. David refused to receive it. Healing was right in front of him, ready for him to taste, but he poured it all out onto the ground! Perhaps if he had accepted the refreshment, it would have revived his energy enough that he could have strategized a way out of this predicament. Instead he poured it out. And because of this, he locked himself in a prison known as Addullam. Interestingly enough, the word “Addullam” means “locked in.” The first time I read this story, I nearly shouted at my Bible, “David! Bro! Just drink the water!!” I couldn’t understand why he refused their help.

 And then I began noticing the same tendencies in me after my late wife, Amanda, passed away.

 I wasn’t used to asking other people for help. In fact, I typically like to appear that I’m independent and stable, very much in control of my life. But sometimes trial hits your life with such ferocity, that the bootstraps you’re supposed to pull yourself up by are busted. Maybe you’re finding yourself there now.

I see a trend happen in a person’s life when they are in a valley – isolation. They isolate themselves, refusing to allow the community in their life to help. They stop attending church. They find excuses not to show up to their small group. I want so badly for you to understand that isolation is perhaps the worst thing for you in moments of pain. You may think that retreating from others while you feel vulnerable helps to protect you, but it actually leaves you more exposed.

Have you ever seen the lone wildebeest wander away from the herd at the watering hole on National Geographic? There’s no question as to why this poor little guy is being featured on film. It’s a study in predator and prey . . . and communal protection. The lion crouched in the bushes inevitably pounces on the loner, not the herd. Scripture says the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion seeking whom he could devour. He’s just waiting for a vulnerable loner to wander away from the herd.

 When we find ourselves going through a trial – better yet, before the trial hits our lives – what if we pursued forming and gathering a strong biblical community around us? David had three hundred Mighty Men, thirty chiefs, and three in his inner circle. This is a beautiful example of the community that we should surround ourselves with, especially when we feel surrounded by the enemy.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND JOURNALING:

1. Do you have a strong spiritual community around you?

2. If not, what is inhibiting you from cultivating that community?

3. In what ways could Christian community help you as you’re walking through your current season of trial?

4. If you do have a strong community, what ways should you use it as a resource while you are walking through your valley?

PRAYER:

Lord, I know that You put a deep desire in me for community. Help me to fight against my natural inclination to isolate myself during this time. Help me to put myself out there and be vulnerable with people even though I could be risking more hurt. Please begin surrounding me with great people that can both challenge and encourage me.