There's an old parable about the devil putting his tools up for sale, and the priciest one in the collection is a small, well-worn corkscrew named Discouragement. Stephen Davey uses it to open a hard chapter in David's story—1 Samuel 27, where a worn-down, hunted David finally says in his heart that he'll die by Saul's hand and defects to enemy territory. Notice what's missing: he never talks to God about it. For nearly two years, no prayer, no priest, no Psalms—the singer goes silent. The plan seems to work at first, until it corners him into marching against his own people, and then he comes home to find Ziklag burned and his men picking up rocks to stone him. Only there, with nowhere left to run, does he strengthen himself in the Lord and finally ask God what to do. Two takeaways worth hanging onto: following your heart is far more dangerous than the movies let on, and God is far more ready to restore a repentant son than we'd dare expect.
Misled by a Misguided Heart (Part 1)
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