Day 105: Saul in pursuit of David

I'm away at Spring Harvest for the next 5 days. Posts will continue, but comments may not appear for a while unless I get online while I'm there.
Our progress through the story is slowing down, as we hear more and more of David’s interior life. This is something unique - there is no other character in the bible who tells us so much about himself.

David speaks of God’s judgement and grace
Psalm 52
David’s complaint
Psalm 109
David’s prayer for protection
Psalm 140
God warns David
1 Samuel 23:6-13
David’s prayer of trust in God
Psalm 31
David still sought by Saul
1 Samuel 23:14-15
David’s prayer for help
Psalm 13
Jonathan comforts David
1 Samuel 2:16-18
David betrayed by the Ziphites
1 Samuel 23: 19-23
David escapes
1 Samuel 23: 24-28
David’s prayer for protection
Psalm 54

David’s prayers are becoming more urgent, his feelings about his enemies more turbulent. He prays for their downfall and vivid, personal terms, while restating his trust in God. I can’t imagine every asking God to do this to my enemy: “May his days be few; may another take his place of leadership. May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow. May his children be wandering beggars; may they be driven from their ruined homes.”
That’s harsh!
But David is not afraid in sharing his feelings with God. All of them, Even the violent ones that we are ashamed of. That’s what makes his songs such a precious resource for people today. We can say anything to God, absolutely anything, get it off our chests and then calm down and listen to his loving wisdom. But if we don’t exorcise these evil feelings, they will possess us, as they did with Saul.