Self preservation

I often go into survival mode.

I worry that I won't get enough food, enough sleep, enough basic life necessities and and almost go crazy trying to protect myself.

Im not alone though! King David was a man after Gods own heart and he seemed to go through a self preservation phase in 1 Samuel 21. Reading this will blow your mind. 

For the next few moments, try putting yourself in Davids shoes. How would you act?

These are some of my observations:

"So he pretended to be insane in their presence; and while he was in their hands he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard." (1 Samuel21:13

NIV) wow..

Poor David! How scared must he have been to get to such a level? He acted insane. I wonder if that is how he released all his stress for the past couple of months.. After this he just escapes to a cave. Wow. David is really going through a hard time. I can't even begin to imagine being in his shoes. I can't even go without one meal without going into "preservation mode", and he had to do that for who knows how long! I can't even handle somebody making a negative comment about me, while King David had to handle somebody constantly trying to kill him. He knows that he is the annointed king of Isreal, but his situation is looking like the complete opposite. Fear grips him. He is so far removed from all human  comforts that he got so used to. Living in a cave does NOT sound like a good time to me!! No showers, no food, no heater or AC, no bed, no clean clothes.... Man. That must have sucked! I wonder what he thought during this time. Is this when he was writing the psalms about his enemies pursuing him?

What was it like to go from living in a palace to living in a cave?

Have you ever been so desperate for something your body was craving that you were willing to do anything in order to get it?

God understands pelf preservation mode. He loved David and kept a Fathers dry for him during this difficult time.

God wants to preserve us, because our own efforts will make us go crazy, as they did for David.