“Thus Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David… and Saul was still more afraid of David. So Saul became David’s enemy continually.” —1 Samuel 18:28‑29
Has life taken a hard turn, and you feel frustrated, hurt, and fearful about what’s ahead?
We are promised in Scripture, “All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).
All things? It doesn’t feel that way when we encounter pain, betrayal, and heartache.
How can this hardship work for good?
David, who would become king of Israel, learned through his pain and the lessons that came with it.
He was a rising star. The people were singing his praises throughout the land. He had the esteem of his peers, the nation, and even the king’s daughters.
“Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands,” women sang. He was called wise, anointed; “all of Israel and Judah loved David” (1 Samuel 18:7,16).
David had charisma and popularity.
But the foundation of leadership has to be character, not charisma. God was looking for a man of character to place on the throne of Israel.
King Saul once loved David until Saul’s jealousy and bitterness changed his heart; his death threats became David’s torment.
When David escaped to the wilderness and hid in the caves of Judea, he probably thought he’d be there a couple of weeks, just until things cooled down. He and the band of men who eventually joined him never thought they would be living a Robin Hood existence for over ten years!
During these dark and painful days, David wrote some of the most moving and passionate Psalms in the Bible. During this time his relationship with the Lord deepened in a marvelous way. God drew David into an intimate relationship with Him and taught him some of the most important lessons of his life.
During those years in the caves, David was transformed from an innocent shepherd boy into a rugged man of integrity and honor, a man after God’s own heart.
With his heart resolutely fixed on the Lord, the lessons David learned would minister to others through his Psalms for generations to come.
God’s love for us sometimes takes us to deep, dark caves where we grow in intimacy and faith. Where we too will cry out like David,
“When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then You knew my path… You are my refuge… Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise Your name…For You shall deal bountifully with me.”—Psalm142
