Vital signs- Friday, October 14th, 2022
Creative Wisdom-
Have you ever experienced a time in your life where you could not see a way forward? The Psalm that we are reading today was David's reflection on how God delivered him from the hands of the Philistines. This Psalm speaks to those of us who are facing challenging circumstances and need wisdom from God. At one of the lowest points in David's life, he had to flee from King Saul and found himself in Philistine territory. The same Philistines that David had fought on many different occasions now had their enemy in their hands.
David could have been filled with fear expecting that this was now the end of his life, but instead of pleading for mercy, he does something completely unorthodox; he pretends to be insane in the presence of the Philistine king. His decision to act crazy in front of the Philistine King was the single factor that saved his life. Sometimes we struggle to discern the way forward, and knowing what to do in difficult circumstances is not always clear. David's quick thinking and response on this particular day was wisdom in action for that exact moment. All of us need God's wisdom, creativity, and guidance for the decisions we face in our daily lives. This Psalm encourages us to rely on God and actively ask him for wisdom in trying and challenging moments in our life. Far too often, we can rely on our wisdom and experience for the decisions and situations we face in our lives. Take a moment and ask God to fill you with His wisdom for the decisions you will have to make today.
“Then David arose and fled from Saul that day, and went to Achish king of Gath. The servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David the king of the land? Did they not sing in praise of this one as they danced, saying, ‘Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands’?” David took these words to heart and was greatly afraid of Achish king of Gath. So [fearing for his life] he changed his behavior in their sight, and acted insanely in their hands, and he scribbled on the doors of the gate, and drooled on his beard. Then Achish said to his servants, “Look, you see that the man is insane. Why have you brought him to me? Do I lack madmen, that you bring this one to behave like a madman in my presence? Shall this one come into my house?””
1 Samuel 21:10-15 AMP