This poor soul cried, and was heard by the Lord,
    and was saved from every trouble.
Psalm 34:6 (NRSVCE)

Everyone has a story. In Monday’s post, I referenced pieces of my story that a lot of people don’t know. Along life’s journey, I’ve found that it’s very typical to only know pieces of other people’s stories. I’ve come to believe that real relationship begins when we begin to share and discover the lesser-known pieces of our respective life stories. Until we know one another’s stories, relationship remains somewhat in the shallows.

The truth can be said of characters in the Great Story. I find it common for people to assume that those told about in the Great Story are some kind of spiritual superheroes, but nothing could be further from the truth. With the exception of Jesus, I find that most every other character is tragically flawed like me, and I believe that’s the point.

David is mostly known for the oft-told story of him slaying Goliath, and that is typically told to children. I have observed that if people know anything else about him it’s that he was King, and perhaps it’s remembered that he had an adulterous affair with a woman named Bathsheba. We love a good scandal, don’t we?

There’s actually a lot to David’s story. While he was anointed as King as a kid (God instructed the prophet, Samuel, to anoint David the king), it would be decades before he actually ascended the throne. Years of David’s young adult life were spent on the run from the reigning king, Saul, and living in the wilderness. He had no real place to call home and, seemingly, everyone wanted him dead.

It was during those wilderness years that David went to a neighboring region called Gath. He was hoping to find an ally in the King there and as well as a safe place to reside from Saul’s henchmen, but his audience with the King of Gath suddenly went south. David realized in the moment that the King of Gath’s advisors had very little reason to provide him asylum while having every reason to serve up his head on a silver platter to King Saul. He’s alone inside the walls of the city surrounded and outnumbered by his armed enemies. How’s he going to get out of this alive?

David pretended to be certifiably crazy. He started acting like a mad man. He frothed at the mouth so spit was running down his beard. He put together such an impressive improv performance that the King of Gath wanted nothing to do with him and just wanted him thrown out of the city before whatever mental disease David had started spreading.

Having escaped with his life, David wrote a song to thank God for getting him out of a tight spot. That song is what we call Psalm 34 according to the liner notes.

Knowing the story adds a layer of context to the song lyrics, which creates added meaning for me as I read or listen. While I may never have been surrounded by armed enemies wanting to kill me (though at least once I’ve had an enemy who literally wanted to beat the crap out of me — but that’s another story), there are plenty of experiences along this life journey when I unexpectedly find myself in tight spots. David’s story, and his song lyrics, remind me that “this poor soul” can throw up a popcorn prayer and trust that God will hear me just as He did David.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.