David was threatened by death as Saul, raging with jealousy, hunted him to take his life.
At the same time, David found himself in the land of the Philistines. If you remember his early life, you would recall that as a young boy, David killed the Phillistine giant named Goliath.
Now, here he is in the land of the Philistines years later, the very land of his enemies. These people would have loved to take revenge for what David had done to their strongman.
Death was coming for him on every side, so he could have been viewed as a madman for choosing the land of the Philistines as his place of hiding from Saul. Furthermore, David had to literally behave as if he were in fact mad in order to escape to safety.
1 Samuel 21 gives an account of what happened when David was recognised and captured by the Philistines. They brought him before King Achish, where a determination would have been made on how to punish him. The sane man did an insane thing: David proceeded to bang his head against the wall, acting like a crazy person.
King Achish was furious, “Am I so short of madmen that you have to bring this fellow here to carry on like this in front of me? Must this man come into my house?” (Vs. 15)
David was subsequently released and his life was spared instead of him being speared. Psalm 34 is the Psalm he wrote after this experience.
INSANE FAITH CAN KEEP YOU SANE
As a Believer and servant of God, we have to be okay with being seen as “mad” or “crazy.” Understand that what seems like downright madness to the world is oftentimes a demonstration of crazy faith in God. Bravery is not only demonstrated by cutting off the head of a giant. Sometimes bravery is about looking death in the face and praising God like you just won the lottery. Sometimes it’s about needing a healing miracle for yourself but choosing to pray for the healing of someone else. The world might call you mad, but such demonstration of faith in God confuses the enemy and causes God to step in and move on your behalf.
Can you imagine facing death, and your only plan is to be foolishly dependent on God and continue to honour and serve Him? This kind of crazy faith is what pleases God and is counted as selfless bravery in His Kingdom.
I believe this is what Paul spoke of when he said in Philippians 1:21, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”In other words, whether in life or in death, I gain because I choose to honour God. So even if your actions look crazy to everyone around you, the confidence you have in God will grant you victory. It was Paul who also said in Philippians 4:12, “I have learnt to be content in any and every situation.” This outlook is one that expresses trust in God’s will being done over one’s own will.
Psalm 34 is a psalm of confidence in God, our father, and bravery through his son Jesus Christ, Who gives us all strength! I encourage you to look at bravery through the lenses of God. Understand that the way you fight doesn’t need to look like what the world would expect. If anger is what is attacking you, you don’t have to fight back with anger.
If you are in a season of constantly having just a little, money does not have to be the weapon that you use to kill that giant. The world often presents us with the outlook that money solves any problem. However, a Believer who is faced with the fear of diminishing funds can choose to be crazy enough to pray prayers of thanksgiving and give even from the little that they have. God, in turn, can do wonders in the life of one with this kind of crazy faith.
If sickness is what you are faced with, healing is not necessarily the answer that will grant you victory. A true Believer in Christ could beat the giant of sickness by choosing to pray for the healing of others who are sick. Imagine even being crazy enough to pray, asking God for healing, yet being brave enough to say, “LORD, nevertheless, let Your will take precedence over mine.”
TA-TA, TONI-ANN HOWELL
Brethren, being brave is more than brawn. In these times, be crazy enough to do the uncommon and unusual while trusting God to grant you the victory.
In fact, this message is not for the ones that look/act strong and brave. It is really for those who are not brave right now because they are so sick with fear about the future. This message is an encouragement to them, reminding them that as they trust God with their fear and make unusual faith moves, He sees their bravery and is orchestrating, even devising their way out. We will all rejoice in the end.
Take time out to meditate on Psalm 34, verses 1 to 22; testify like David did, and practice all that this mighty and brave king did before his KING.
This article is dedicated to a brave soldier in God’s army, my dearly beloved sister-in-Christ, Toni-Ann Howell.
T, you have fought the good fight, you have finished the race, you have kept the faith. Now there is in store for you the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, awarded you when He called you home on July 31, 2024.
T.A.H.
Orlease King is author of the book, ‘Making Your Way to God.’