JUST IN TIME –

David experienced a lot of turmoil in his flight from King Saul, but nothing compared to the time when he was informed by his best friend Jonathan, Saul’s son, that because he missed the New Moon Festival, King Saul was livid and threatened to punish him for it. Little did David know that Saul’s real anger was due to the fact by missing this festival it took away another chance for him to kill David. After hearing this, David borrowed Goliath’s old sword from the priest at Nob, and headed straight toward an 800 foot high mesa, known today as the Gaza Strip, right into Goliath’s home town of Gath, just to get away from Saul’s clutches. If he ever needed God’s protection and guidance, it was now.

“O One True God, please help me endure. There’s one man who doesn’t like me and wants to get rid of me, and it’s causing me so much stress. O Most High God, his men keep hunting for me day after day, trying to end my life; and there are a lot of them pursuing me. You know I always come to You when I’m afraid because I absolutely trust You. O One True God, I admire Your Word, and depend on every promise You’ve made; that’s why I’ll press on and do not worry about what these weaklings are trying to do to me. Every day it becomes more and more stressful because they are only out to make my life miserable. They have even devised a plan to ambush me by keeping track of every move I make so they can accomplish their task of taking my life. Let my constant escaping be their reward for such evil intentions, O One True God; then maybe they will become so upset they will call this whole thing off. You also keep track of where I’ve been and where I’m going; You’ve caught my tears in Your flask, in fact You have everything written down in Your ledger. So today as I call out to You, let my opponents turn around and leave; that way I’ll know that my One True God is on my side; yes, this One True God whose word I admire; the LORD Eternal whose word I cherish; the word that I trust without question; so I’m not going to worry about what humans are trying to do to me. I will continue paying my tithes and offerings to the One True God. After all, He’s the one who has saved me from dying and kept me from losing faith, that’s why I will continue walking side by side with my One True God; being happy that I’m alive.” Psalm 56:1-13

Reflection: As the sun begin setting on an isolated stretch of Florida beach, an old man with a curved back, bushy eyebrows, and bony cheek features, hobbled down to the shore carrying a bucket. He walked out on the pier to welcome a flock of seagulls that suddenly filled the sky. He took shrimp out of his bucket and threw them up into the air, on the dock, and all around him. Some seagulls landed at his feet, some on his shoulders, even one landed on his hat, joyfully eating the shrimp. However, long after all the shrimp ran out his feathered friends still lingered around until he left. That man was Captain Eddie Rickenbacker, the famous flying ace in WWII whose B-17 Flying Fortress went down in the Pacific Ocean around 2:30 PM, on Monday, October 19, 1942. Rickenbacker and his crew of eight drifted on two rafts for 24 days. They ran out of rations after 8 days. They fought hunger, thirst, the sun, and sharks. Yet, they never failed to have their devotions and prayer time every day. One day after devotions Rickenbacker leaned back and put his hat over his eyes to get some sleep. He felt something land on his hat and knew instantly it was a seagull. They were hundreds of miles out to sea and he wondered where the bird came from. He quickly grabbed it and with thanksgiving he and the crew ate the raw flesh. They used the intestines as bait to catch fish for food, until rescued on Friday, November 13^th, 1942. After returning to the States, Captain Rickenbacker showed his gratitude to that sacrificial bird by going out every week with a bucket of shrimp as his way of saying, “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” In 1947 a six lane thoroughfare connecting Miami with Key Biscayne was built and named “Rickenbacker Causeway.” Sadly, few who drive over it today know the story behind its namesake. David found himself adrift in dangerous territory, but God miraculously delivered him, in a place where there were no altars or houses of worship dedicated to the God of Israel. That’s why after he returned to his home he wanted to show his gratitude by bringing God his tithes and offerings, and let everyone know that it was God, and God alone who delivered him; all because he trusted God’s Word without a single shred of doubt.