Psalm 34:18 AMPC
[18] The Lord is close to those who are of a broken heart and saves such as are crushed with sorrow for sin and are humbly and thoroughly penitent.
We read of another song by David, reflecting some of his experiences as he journeyed to the fulfilment of His destiny. Here was a boy who started as a simple shepherd, helping to take care of his father's sheep. He was not even considered for service in the kings army, as his brothers were, maybe due to his age, but what he lacked in physical exertion that men could see, God made it up for him in deep spiritual preparation away from the eyes of men. Too many times, we rely on the word 'experience' to place responsibilities on people but whilst that is not bad in itself, we must be careful not to limit what God can do with a life that may be inexperienced, but full of the grace of God for exploits. This was who David was: young, inexperienced, unskilled in war, but being prepared by God for the life of impact he was born for. Where I am right now will not look anything like where God is taking me.
That was where David was at this time. He had been taken from the wilderness where he was tending sheep, and had been anointed as king of Israel. However, there was a king in place, and David could do nothing to hurry up the process, no matter how hard he tried. In fact, the current king was trying hard to kill David, who had to keep moving from place to place, seeking safety and protection amongst both friends and foes alike. At some point, he found himself in Gath, a city of the Philistines, which were enemies of king Saul and Israel. This was a dangerous place for David to be, as he was quite popular for killing the former strongman of the Philistines. May trouble not drive us into the hands of those who will see us dead. Thank God for the wisdom that was given to David, who pretended to be insane to escape the attention of the king Achish, also referred to as "Abimelech".
As is customary with David, praise was his default setting, and he found a song of praise from this terrible experience which could have cost him his life. What is that experience that is threatening my peace? Like David, know this God on a personal level. It does not really pay much to rely on what other people say; what you know is your strongest possession. David knew God to be close to those whose hearts are truly repentant, who hate what God hates, and seek His face continually. There is nothing that can adequately prepare me for this earthly life, except if God helps me. Like David, I must find comfort in approaching the throne of grace, where there is sufficient and adequate help for whatever may come my way. As always, know that God does not turn away anyone who comes to Him with a sincere heart. He waits for you; would you come? God's time of favour is here.
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