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Have you ever been reading a good book and places or circumstances in the story lined up with what was going on in your life? Well, I’ve been reading about David and Saul lately. No, I’m not a shepherd boy turned warrior, nor is there a crazy king hunting me down trying to kill me, but stay with me. I was reading about them in the middle of the 6 hour bus ride across the Andes Mountains, looking out at a landscape filled with hills, valleys, caves, and an intensity I can’t describe. The mountains weren’t lush and most of them weren’t very tropical or jungle like, but they were awe-inspiring and powerful. Reading about David and Saul, I felt like I was watching their story out my window. David hiding in the caves, moving frequently to avoid being discovered by the men trying to take his life, and King Saul jealously searching for the man God chose to take his place. It is a story that is equal in intensity to the landscape that was flying by my window.

Reading the Psalms later, I was struck by the ones written by David during that time in his life. Those little headings at the beginning of the psalm add so much to the story. Psalm 56 – When the Philistines had seized him in Gath. Psalm 57 – When he had fled from Saul into a cave. Psalm 59 – When Saul had sent men to watch David’s house in order to kill him. The reality of these statements and what they meant in David’s life are huge! These Psalms were not written while he was sitting in the field with some sheep, just strumming on his harp. These are heartfelt journal entries from a man that was going through some crazy trials in his life. Reading David’s writings is like glimpsing into the depths of his heart when it was at it’s most vulnerable state.
 
He was scared. He was fighting for his life.

“My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death assail me. Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me.” (Psalm 55:4-5)

Yet he chose to trust.

“In you my soul takes refuge, I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.” (Psalm 57:1b)

And he wasn’t going to let ANYTHING turn him away from his God.

“My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast.” (Psalm 57:7)

Wow, I get it now. These are the reasons God called David a man after His own heart. He was PRAISING GOD while he was stuck in a cave hiding from a manipulative king, fully trusting that God would protect him. When do you see faith like that these days?

We all face trials. Maybe we don’t have people chasing us trying to kill us, but trials come in all shapes and sizes, and all have the potential to feel overwhelming. So what if we’re scared? What if it feels like the whole world is against us? What do we do with that? Will we trust and let nothing change our mind? Will we draw our strength from the only One that truly gives us strength? Will we choose to have a heart like David’s?