How do you turn to God when you are angry or upset? Do you turn to him at all durning those times?
Saul had pretty much turned into a mad king. He is obsessed with finding David and killing him. When he found out that Ahimelech the priest helped David and gave him the sword of Goliath, he ordered all 85 of the priest that lived there killed, along with their families including women and children.
We pick up 1 Samuel 22 with David's reaction.
"But one son of Ahimelek son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled to join David. He told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord. Then David said to Abiathar, "That day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, I knew he would be sure to tell Saul. I am responsible for the death of your whole family. Stay with me; don't be afraid. The man who wants to kill you is trying to kill me too. You will be safe with me.". 1 Sam 22:20-23 (NIV)
Next David poured out his heart into a song, Psalm 52. I love reading the psalms in the context of when they happened.
Notice the way David prays here. He starts out with the anger he has over what Saul has done but ends in praise to God.
Psalm 52 (NIV)
1 Why do you boast of evil, you mighty hero?
Why do you boast all day long,
you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?
2 You who practice deceit,
your tongue plots destruction;
it is like a sharpened razor.
3 You love evil rather than good,
falsehood rather than speaking the truth.
4 You love every harmful word,
you deceitful tongue!
5 Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin:
He will snatch you up and pluck you from your tent;
he will uproot you from the land of the living.
6 The righteous will see and fear;
they will laugh at you, saying,
7 "Here now is the man
who did not make God his stronghold
but trusted in his great wealth
and grew strong by destroying others!"
8 But I am like an olive tree
flourishing in the house of God;
I trust in God's unfailing love
for ever and ever.
9 For what you have done I will always praise you
in the presence of your faithful people.
And I will hope in your name,
for your name is good."
That is a good lesson, when talking to God, be honest with where you are at. Vent to God, let him know what happened, how you are feeling. Then sit in silence for a moment, and allow the Spirit of God to take you to where you need to be.
This is how David put into practice being a "man after God's own heart."
