David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him. And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul, gathered to him. And he became commander over them. And there were with him about four hundred men. 1 Samuel 22: 1-2

If any man understood significant adversity, it was David.

Remember how the story began for this man. Anointed by God’s prophet Samuel meant that his path to kingship and servant of God would be easy, right? Not so much. David came up against significant struggles with wild beasts and defiant giants, yet God gave him victory. And then there was his distinguished service to king Saul, where God continued to bless his hand in battle. Even so, we find him running for his life in this very passage, a fugitive hiding deep in a cave. Chosen by God and being up against constant adversity are not as opposed as you may think.

God uses what is broken and struggling. He is in the business of making His Name famous through the unlikely. Notice just who was attracted to David. Those that came to David were in distress, in debt, and bitter in soul. This was not a therapy center, just a man chosen by God hiding in a cave. He understood both struggle and success. And God’s hand turned that ragtag bunch into the mighty men of valor. God is in the business of turning broken into goodness. The next time you are tempted to think of your brokenness as a bad thing, keep in mind that God has a track record of using just that.

DO THIS TODAY: Identify an area of your life that is broken and ask God to attend to it in a way only He can.