Run, David! Run!

They meant well, but their advice was not exactly wise. David was being hunted by King Saul, and all his friends could do was incite fear in him with their words. "Flee as a bird to your mountain. For look! The wicked bend their bow. They make ready their arrow on the string so that they may shoot secretly at the upright in heart. If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?" (Psalm 11:1-3). What his friends were saying was, "Run, David, run! People are trying to kill you! The very foundation of Saul's government has been destroyed; what can a righteous man like you do? Run!" 

David did not blindly take his friends' advice to heart. He could not ignore what he knew about God to follow the advice of misguided men. His heart was filled with faith in a God who had always been there for him. 

When we read about David during this time in his life, we often forget that he was once a boy who killed a giant. This is the same David who surpassed an entire army of strong soldiers, including his own brothers, to defeat a giant named Goliath with one stone. As an adolescent, David had the faith to overcome Israel's enemy. David had trusted God his whole life, he would not stop trusting Him now. 

David would continue to face trials because God had a plan for his life. The enemy is not pleased when God has a plan for your life. Satan's job is to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). He wants to sift you like wheat, and he does not take breaks (Luke 22:31). Like David, you will continually face trials, but David was well-versed in adversity. He reminded himself of what his friends had said but could only respond with, "The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD’s throne is in heaven." Much like the friends of Job, David's friends meant well, but they gave bad advice. When they spoke messages of fear, David reminded himself that no matter his problems, he had a direct line to the Problem Solver. The foundations had been destroyed; now, what would a righteous man like David do? He would not fear; he did not have to because the LORD was with him.

I received some great advice from a six-year-old friend the other day who just happens to be my daughter. She saw that I was down and asked what was wrong. "I'm just tired," I admitted. "I'm tired of everything. You know, you are all I have," I confessed, tearing up. "If I didn't have you, I wouldn't have anything."

"You have Jesus," she replied. 

I paused at her words and wiped the tears from my face. "Out of the mouths of babes," I thought (Psalm 8:2). Amid my weakness, God's strength emerged from this baby's mouth, countering the bad advice I was giving myself. "You're right, babe," I said, looking up at the sweet, smiling face of my kind-hearted six-year-old friend. "I have Jesus."

David's friends advised him to run. They meant well, but they were wrong. Despite what they said, David did not need to run; he needed to trust in the God of all things. The God who anointed David to be king would indeed deal with his enemies. If only we could all have wise six-year-old friends to encourage us with godly advice. But even when you do not have anyone to uplift you, like David, encourage yourself in the LORD (1 Samuel 30:6). Go to God's Word, read, study, apply it to your life, and encourage yourself. 

God has a plan for you and nothing and no one can get in the way. Remind yourself that God is still the same God who helped you slay your last giant. He is still God. He is still on the throne, the same God yesterday, today, and forever, and He is always with you (Joshua 1:8, Hebrews 13:8).

When God has a plan for your life—a promise yet to be fulfilled—trust that He will preserve you. There is no need to fear, for God is with you (Isaiah 41:10). There is no need to hide, for God is your hiding place (Psalm 32:7). There is no need to run; you can trust Him (Psalm 56:3). 

If the foundations be destroyed, what can you do? You can keep the faith; you have Jesus.