David was anointed to be king of Israel even as a young boy. Even though he enjoyed military success in his teen years; King Saul became jealous of him. He started to hunt down David at every possible opportunity. Many times David narrowly escaped. And there came a moment when he cried out to Saul’s son Jonathan, “There is only a step between me and death (1 Samuel 20:3).”
But David’s life was far from over. He had more troubles awaiting him. Yet in all this we should not forget that God’s plan to anoint David as king of Israel was never thwarted. Therefore do not be too quick to assess a negative situation in life to say that there is only a step between me and death. God has still something more and better for you coming up even though it is coming though the pathway of trouble.
Another thought is that encouragement in times of trouble can come from least expected sources. In David’s case the encouragement came in the form of Saul’s son Jonathan. Even when his father was trying to hunt down David, Jonathan was busy trying to find out Saul’s intention and informing David about it and helping him escape. The best thing Jonathan did was to go and help David find strength in God (1 Samuel 23:16)!
Because David found strength in the Lord his God in troubled times; we have been given a treasure in the form of some Psalms David had written. See for example Psalm 34. Read it prayerfully and enjoy the comfort of its amazing promises. When did David write that? He wrote that shortly after he pretended to be mad and let saliva run down his beard before the philistine king (1 Samuel 21:13). Therefore when you pass through “only a step between me and death” situation, know that it is because God wants leave a lasting impression through you on generations to come.
Every believer who has found God to be faithful and his promises true have found them to be so after passing through extreme pressure in life. Jacobdespaired saying, “Everything is against me (Genesis 42:36).” Elijah said, “I have had enough, LORD. Take my life (1 Kings 19:4).” Peter after he denied knowing the lord gave up following Jesus and went fishing (John 21:3). Paul and Timothy felt the sentence of death in their hearts (2 Corinthians 1:9). These men were not weak but giants of faith; yet they were ordinary men who passed through despairing moments. So let us take heart that we are in the company of people of faith even when we doubt and despair.
The best lesson you can hold on to when you feel that there is only a step between you and death is that God is not finished with you yet. Tomorrow will come; and you’ll see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living (Psalm 27:13)!