No pain is harder to bear than domestic difficulty. We can bounce back from the blows at work or recover fairly rapidly from problems at school. Even physical infirmities or emotional battles—as hurting as they may be—can hardly be compared to the devastating impact brought on by trouble at home.

Family feuds, wayward kids, parent-child clashes, husband-wife disagreements, and other in-house pressures have a way of breaking our spirits and stealing our joy. And no one is immune who compromises God’s standard. Not even a king…like David. Witness the monarch’s misery as the sword of consequences fell on David and his family. As we watch it happen, let’s take heed!