1 Samuel 27:1
Then David said in his heart, “Now I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will despair of seeking me any longer within the borders of Israel, and I shall escape out of his hand.”
David experienced two incredible acts of providence by the hand of God. For twice, the Lord had placed Saul next to David, and in both instances the Lord protected David and strengthened him to speak boldly in front of Saul. David declared the greatness of the Lord and His faithfulness and protection.
Yet, in this verse we see David grow weary and doubt the Lord’s faithfulness. He seemed to completely forget the protection and deliverance of God. He doubted the Lord’s nearness and preferred to be in the land of his enemies rather than continue running away from Saul. Instead of running to the Lord, he desired to run away and take matters into his own hands.
We must remember our strength is in the Lord and in the power of His might. There are times when the Lord removes His presence to test us and to reveal to us our self-reliance, our idolatrous views of our circumstances, and where we trust ourselves rather than trusting Him. David wrote in Psalm 11, “His eyelids test the children of man. The Lord tests the righteous.”
We must not look at the circumstances of our lives based upon ourselves but in light of who God is. Let us look to Jesus, our Savior and our King, who in the garden of Gethsemane sought the Father and prayed, submitting Himself to the Lord by crying out, “Not my will, but Yours be done.” And then let us rise to do that which God has ordained for us; trusting His Word, resting in the comforts of the Holy Spirit, and pressing on toward the goal, which God has prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 6:10, Psalm 11:4–5, Ephesians 2:10
Father, You are strong and mighty and there is none like You. So many times I look at the circumstances of my life and enlarge them to be bigger than You in my heart and mind. I am tempted to not believe Your Word and Your promises, and instead, I make idols out of my circumstances. Forgive me. Help me to know Your strength. Help me to walk in Your strength. Help me to know the joy of the Lord that I may gladly and with my whole heart serve You all my days. Thank You, Lord. In Jesus’ name. Amen