God Cares for the Downtrodden
David the king-elect of Israel –
anointed, approved in battle and
awaiting the inauguration of his
reign – is fleeing for his life from
the deranged Saul, the king rejected.
Saul’s pursuit drives David to
desperate measures such as eating
the forbidden shewbread at Nob
and feigning insanity at Gath.
But Scripture records that David’s
confidence in God never slackens,
as his frequent petitions to God for
direction & protection clearly testify.
Dear Lord, from the experience
of David on the run from king Saul,
we learn when treated unjustly that
we should not take matters into our
own hands. For God is just & faithful
and You Care for the downtrodden.
Help us Lord to Be Faithful Friends;
Help us to Seek Forgiveness; and
Help us Avail Ourselves for Service.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.
Lord, we will Be Faithful Friends:
If he is angry and wants u killed,
may the Lord kill me if I don’t
warn you so u can escape & live.
May the Lord be with you as he
used to be with my father. And
may you treat me with the faithful
love of the Lord as long as I live…
So Jonathan made a covenant
with David saying: May the Lord
destroy all your enemies! And
Jonathan made David reaffirm
his vow of friendship again, for
Jonathan loved David as much as
he loved himself (1 Sam 20:13-17)
Lord, we are inspired Jonathan
and David based their friendship
on commitment to You. And he
let nothing come between them,
not even personal and family.
Help us be people of integrity
by keeping promises even though
it may involve sacrifice. Amen.
Lord, we Return to U for Forgiveness:
Then David fled that day before Saul
and went to Achish the king of Gath.
And the servants of Achist said:
Is this not David the king of the land?
Did they not sing in dances saying:
Saul has slain his thousands and
David his 10,000? Now David took
these words to heart and was very
much afraid of Archist the king of
Gath. So he changed his behavior,
pretended madness (1Sam 21:10-13)
Lord, when in trouble, keep me
from the temptation to take matters
into my own hands. Rather than
devise scheme to avoid trouble,
give me courage to trust in You.
Even when I fail, keep me from
indulging in shame. And prompt
me to turn back to You so that
I may know Your forgiveness. Amen.
Lord, we Avail Ourselves for Service:
David therefore departed from there
and escaped to the cave of Adullam.
So when his brothers and all his
father’s house heard it, they went
down there to him. And everyone
who was in distress, everyone who
was in debt and everyone who was
discontented gathered to him.
So he became captain over them.
And there were about four hundred
men with him (1 Sam 22:1-2).
Lord, we note that David with Your
help managed to mould the 400
men into a strong fighting men and
did great exploits for the kingdom.
Help our leaders to manage people
from a range of backgrounds and to
be humble in accepting their failings.
Help our leaders to be both strong
and humble for church leadership
can be pretty tough work. Amen.