Stressed Out? - David

David heard these comments and was very afraid of what King Achish of Gath might do to him. So he pretended to be insane, scratching on doors and drooling down his beard. Finally, King Achish said to his men, “Must you bring me a madman? We already have enough of them around here! Why should I let someone like this be my guest?”

1 Samuel 21:12-15

In his 1981 book Stress/Unstress, author Keith W. Wehnert lists some personal symptoms of being a little stressed out. Among those symptoms is difficulty in making large or small decisions; the use of tobacco, alcohol, or tranquilizers; trouble concentrating; outbursts of anger; and changes in your usual behavior.

Nothing reveals what’s inside you quite like a stressful situation. When you feel afraid, worried, surprised, or grieved, your levels of courage, faith, and commitment to God are put on display for all to see.

David, who would one day be Israel’s greatest king, faced an extremely stressful situation when he fled from the murderous King Saul. When David arrived in a pagan city called Gath, he wanted to remain incognito. When he realized that King Achish’s officers knew his true identity, he allowed stress to get the best of him.

David feared for his life, so he acted insane, scratching on doors and drooling on himself like a mad dog. That’s hardly the kind of behavior you would expect from Israel’s next king!

David failed for a time to keep his focus on the God who had already called him to bigger and better things and who promised to protect and guide him. He allowed stress rather than his God-inspired courage to rule the day.

Stress is unavoidable in this fallen world. You may not be able to avoid stressful situations, but you can decide for yourself how you’ll respond to them.

Everyone feels stressed out at times. Few things test your courage and faith like a stressful situation. You can defeat the effects of stress when you remember that God has promised to give you the strength and courage to victoriously confront anything that comes your way.