Tag Archives: david ran from saul

August 24, 2026 · 5:49 AM

Shaping Your Future

Any time I’m talking with a leader, pastor or person who feels like they’re spinning their wheels, but going nowhere fast, I bring up Covey’s Four Quadrants. There’s urgent and important, not urgent and important, urgent and not important, and not urgent and not important. So many of us spend so much time in that first one that’s urgent and important. The problem is that we’re constantly on high alert, putting out fires and handling issues of the moment, but never getting to do anything about the future. Life can feel unfulfilling when we are constantly just handling today’s issues, yet they must be taken care of. There’s a feeling that God has more for us, but we can never get to it when we’re on the treadmill of urgent and important constantly.

In 1 Samuel 23 and 24, David had been anointed as king a while back, but found himself nowhere near the palace. Instead he was living in caves in the wilderness. He was running for his life from King Saul. Instead of leading a nation, he was leading 400 men who were outlaws, running from their own problems. Every day was living reactively to the problems that presented themselves. They were in survival mode just trying to hide from those who wanted to kill them. What David didn’t k ow was that God wasn’t wasting the years of hiding and hanging out with criminals. God was preparing him for the future and shaping his heart to trust God over his circumstances. His living in the urgent and important quadrant wasn’t blocking God’s purposes, but rather building him for those purposes.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, “God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end” (NLT). Life has trained us to live in the moment and to deal with today’s problems. It feels unfulfilling because God has built you with an eternal mindset. Yet God doesn’t waste today’s problems. He sees the bigger picture of your life that you can’t see while your battling today’s problems. It can feel like you’re going nowhere fast, but God is shaping you for the future. He’s at work in the important and not urgent quadrant that prepares you for the purposes He created you for. While the things that are urgent and important seem to dominate you today, God is at work shaping your future.

Photo by LARAM on Unsplash

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October 26, 2023 · 5:30 AM

The Best Path

When I was younger and I wanted to take a trip, I would break out my Rand McNally map and plot a course. I would take the map with me so I could follow along or use it if I got lost. Today, most of us use an app with GPS to get us where we’re going. We plug in an address and off we go blindly following wherever it leads. There have been times when I questioned where it was taking me and I thought I knew better. I was wrong. Even now, I question it, but I’ve learned to give it the benefit of the doubt because it sees what’s coming ahead and knows what path to take.

After David was anointed king, I’m sure he thought he knew the path God was going to take to get him to the palace. It wasn’t that long until the king called and invited him to the palace without knowing David would be the next king. Then the path took an unexpected turn. David was on the run and had to leave the country God said he would rule over. He found himself living in caves instead of in the luxury of palaces. He didn’t question God’s path to get him there even though it was a different path than he would have chosen.

From the cave, he penned this in Psalms 142:3, “When my spirit was overwhelmed and weak within me [wrapped in darkness], You knew my path” (AMP). No matter how dark that cave was, he trusted that God knew his path. That’s something we can all learn from. Sometimes God’s path will lead you through some dark times, but even though you walk through the valley of the shadow, God will be with you. He uses those times to develop us, to prove His faithfulness and to have us bring light into the darkness. Don’t turn from the path God is leading you down. He knows what’s ahead and is taking you on the best path for your future.

Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash

Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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July 26, 2017 · 5:29 AM

The Empty Gym


A couple of years ago, I read about a high school basketball team that went to play another school. When the game started, they noticed that the other team had no fans. The gym was empty. It didn’t feel right. The next time they played this team was going to be in their own gym, so the boys put a plan together. They asked all of their fans to show up and cheer for the other team. When the other team showed up, they were surprised to find signs encouraging them and fans who rooted loudly for them to win.

I’ve loved that story from the moment I read it, and I’m proud that it took place in my home state of Texas. I love it because there are times where all of us feel like that other team. It can feel like there is no one on our side. No one to cheer us on. Oh what we would give to have someone encourage us. It’s a difficult thing to be in a position where no one is on your side. It’s tough to keep going to be honest. 

I’m sure all of us have felt that way at one point or another. I know I have. David felt that way too. He had been anointed king, but Saul was still on the throne and was out to kill him. Instead of being in the palace, David was hiding for his life in a cave in one of the most inhospitable places on earth. But then, in Psalm 56:9, he reminded himself of something important. He wrote, “I know this: God is on my side” (NLT). When it feels like no one else is on your side, remind yourself that God is. 

As Romans 8:31 puts it, if God is for you, who can be against you? No matter what you’re going through in this life, no matter how badly things look, know that God is on your side. He’s cheering for you to succeed. He’s giving you the tools you need to make it through. Even if no one is there to help, God is. I’ve always heard that you plus God equals a majority. You have the King of the universe in your corner rooting for you. This too shall pass, and you will be victorious. 

If you’d like to read about the story I referenced, here’s the link.

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