Read: Psalm 59

Even now they lie in wait for my life; the mighty stir up strife against me. For no transgression or sin of mine, O Lord, for no fault of mine, they run and make ready.
-Psalm 59:3-4a

The social media site Reddit has a subreddit (or a separate message board) called “Ask Reddit” where people can ask questions. A popular post topic is “Medical professionals of Reddit, what is the stupidest excuse you have ever heard someone give for what happened?” Some of the more family-friendly stories involve someone getting stabbed or shot and claiming that they were “standing on the street corner minding their own business” or “sitting on the porch reading the Bible”. The true explanation for how the stabbing/shooting happened is a little more complex in reality, but people really do think that the ER staff believes that they were doing nothing when they got injured.

Unlike these emergency room patients, David really is innocent in all of this. King Saul has fallen out of favor with God, David has been anointed as Saul’s successor, and Saul wants David dead. There is legitimate fear on David’s part, but he has a very strong trust in God protecting him. He looks forward to God showing up his enemies in front of everyone to show off the power of the God he serves. It reminds me of Jim Wallis’s comment that “God is so much bigger than all the things we fear.” God is so much bigger than Saul’s hatred of David.

Remind us, loving God, that you are so much bigger than all the things that scare us. Amen.
-Jen McCabe