I have read these Psalms composed by David before, but I never understood where they went in the historical timeline…until today! The honesty and raw emotion pours out from his pen — I am amazed that me, a woman living over two thousand years after the time of their writing, can feel what David felt, thanks to his psalms.  It is so encouraging to see that he cried out to the Lord but always came back to what he knew to be truth: God is faithful.  God will save him.  God is his shield, his stronghold, his protection.  And the … Continue reading Psalm 7, 27, 31, 34, 52: David’s Heart

Phew!  These chapters read like a fast-paced basketball game!  Saul is on the hunt for David.  David is on the run.  Someone tells Saul where David’s latest hide-out is, and Saul chases him, only to just miss him.  The one time he almost caught up to him, a messenger came and told him the Philistines were attacking his city, so Saul abandoned his pursuit of David…in the nick of time. I have nightmares sometimes that I am being chased by something bad.  I don’t always know what that bad thing is, but in my dreams whatever IT is, is downright … Continue reading 1 Samuel 21-24:Tired of running

David is on the run for his life because jealous Saul is after him. I can’t blog much tonight; I’m too weary.  But do question the “evil spirit from the Lord” that comes over Saul and drives him mad.  Does the Lord send evil?  I did not think that was possible or in His nature to SEND evil.  I looked up the verses using the Strong’s concordance at blueletterbible.org, but that tool leaves out the prepositions.  How do they know it was FROM the Lord?  One translation said “from,” and another said “of.” This concept is confusing to me…so for … Continue reading 1 Samuel 18-20; Psalm 11, 59

Obedience is more important to the Lord than our sacrifices. The Lord gave Saul explicit instructions — he was to go completely destroy the Amelekites.  But he did not.  Instead, he captured the king alive and kept the good livestock. Then he went and built a memorial to himself!  I don’t think he was concerned about the loss of life…the fact that he built a memorial to HIMself tells us a lot about the motivations of his heart. Saul looked successful strutting around with the loot.  But God said, “People judge others by what they look like, but I judge … Continue reading 1 Samuel 15-17: No Second Guesses

Today I read about Jonathan’s decision to take ONE soldier and attack the Philistines.  The Philistines were an oppressive people; the Israelites had begun living in caves and hiding out in fear of them. Jonathan, however, had incredible faith that the Lord would win the battle.  If the Lord helps an entire army, surely He would help two men, he reasoned. I wish I had that kind of faith! I am gaining more, though, step by step.  Today’s message at church came exactly when I needed to hear it: when going through dark valleys in life, it is better to … Continue reading 1 Samuel 13-14: Extreme Courage