Some days, if not most days, if not every moment of everyday, our very own thoughts are our all time single greatest worst enemy. 1 Samuel 27:1

1 Samuel 27:1-4 Complete Jewish Bible

27 But David said to himself, “One day Sha’ul will sweep me away. The best thing for me to do is to escape into the territory of the P’lishtim. Then Sha’ul will give up trying to find me here or there in Isra’el’s territory, and at last I’ll be free of him.” ² So David set out with his six hundred men and passed on to Akhish the son of Ma‘okh, king of Gat. ³ David lived with Akhish, he and his men, each man with his household — including David with his two wives Achino‘am from Yizre‘el and Avigayil from Karmel, Naval’s widow. ⁴ Sha’ul was told that David had escaped to Gat, whereupon he stopped searching for him.

Word of God for the Children of God

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

David lived by his wits in the wilderness. He knew that ­going back unto Israel would be too dangerous because Saul was hunting him again. Where could he go for safety? Who might provide the kind of ­anonymity he needed for protection?

David decided to live among his former enemies, the Philis­tines.

What?

Wouldn’t the Philistines remember that he had killed their champion Goliath?

We aren’t told all of the details, but it seems that living with the Philistines was the safest way for David and his men to stay alive at this time.

Making his plea to Achish, the king of Gath, David was given refuge in Ziklag.

David, along with his 600 men and their families, made no attempt to harm the Philistines.

They kept their word to leave them alone and to wage war on their ­surrounding enemies.

While David was in Philistine territory, Saul stayed away.

David flourished in the last place he really wanted to be.

During this time, something very amazing happened—the king of Gath trusted David. David had shown himself to be trustworthy. He had modeled the kind of behavior that can turn an old enemy into an ally. In this way we can see that the Lord protected David even while quietly living among his people’s enemies.

Where to Turn When Your Thoughts Go Dark?

ometimes our thoughts are our greatest enemy.

However difficult his circumstance, David always placed his confidence in God. Indeed, in the final conversation that ever took place between King Saul and David, David declared to Saul that although he didn’t know what would happen, he knew that God would deliver him from his troubles (1 Samuel 26:23-24).

David had more that quite good reasons for such confidence:

Deliverance had been a theme throughout his life.

Whether it was from the lion, the bear, or the Philistine giant (1 Samuel 17:37), or, later, from Saul’s murderous pursuit of him, David was quick to attest to God’s rescue.

It is surprising, then, having avowed his commitment to God’s delivering hand David convinced himself in his heart Saul would eventually kill him.

Rather than reflecting on God’s goodness and faithfulness, he allowed his thoughts to go to dark places.

His confidence gave way to depression and his faith gave way to fear, and so he went to seek security in the company of the enemy (1 Samuel 27:2)—a decision that would lead to a grand mess of deceit and difficulty (v 8-11).

Our thoughts of ourselves really matter; they give rise to our actions. An old saying reminds us of this principle: Sow a thought, reap an action. Sow an action, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character. Sow a character, reap a destiny.

You may look back on chapters in your own life when, like David, you began to talk nonsense to yourself, made foolish choices, found yourself trapped.

You may be in that place right now, struggling to stop your thoughts from spiraling downwards and leading you into a course of action you know, deep down, is unwise or wrong.

David didn’t just need saving from threats to his life; he needed saving from himself—and so do you and I.

But the good news is we can’t exhaust God’s kindness and mercy, even if our thoughts are in the wrong direction, if our actions have taken us off course.

As God rescued David, so He has rescued us through the cross of Christ. When you find your thoughts turning to dark places, then, remind yourself of God’s goodness, deliverance, and faithfulness, let that shape your heart’s response to the difficulties you face, and shape the course you take as you navigate them.

In the name of God, the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit,

Praying …

Psalm 86 Complete Jewish Bible

86 ⁽⁰⁾ A prayer of David:

⁽¹⁾ Listen, Adonai, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.
² Preserve my life, for I am faithful;
save your servant,
who puts his trust in you
because you are my God.
³ Take pity on me, Adonai,
for I cry to you all day.

⁴ Fill your servant’s heart with joy,
for to you, Adonai, I lift my heart.
⁵ Adonai, you are kind and forgiving,
full of grace toward all who call on you.
⁶ Listen, Adonai, to my prayer;
pay attention to my pleading cry.
⁷ On the day of my trouble I am calling on you,
for you will answer me.

⁸ There is none like you among the gods, Adonai;
no deeds compare with yours.
⁹ All the nations you have made
will come and bow before you, Adonai;
they will honor your name.
¹⁰ For you are great, and you do wonders;
you alone are God.

¹¹ Adonai, teach me your way,
so that I can live by your truth;
make me single-hearted,
so that I can fear your name.
¹² I will thank you, Adonai my God,
with my whole heart;
and I will glorify your name forever.
¹³ For your grace toward me is so great!
You have rescued me from the lowest part of Sh’ol.

¹⁴ God, arrogant men are rising against me,
a gang of brutes is seeking my life,
and to you they pay no attention.
¹⁵ But you, Adonai,
are a merciful, compassionate God,
slow to anger
and rich in grace and truth.
¹⁶ Turn to me, and show me your favor;
strengthen your servant, save your slave-girl’s son.
¹⁷ Give me a sign of your favor,
so that those who hate me
will see it and be ashamed,
because you, Adonai,
have helped and comforted me.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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