1 Samuel 24:16-19 
When David had finished speaking, Saul called back, “Is that really you, my son David?” Then he began to cry. And he said to David, “You are a better man than I am, for you have repaid me good for evil. Yes, you have been amazingly kind to me today, for when the Lord put me in a place where you could have killed me, you didn’t do it. Who else would let his enemy get away when he had him in his power? May the Lord reward you well for the kindness you have shown me today.” (NLT)

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Have you ever run for your life? A friend says the only time you will ever see him run is if someone is chasing him. 

Beginning in 1 Samuel 21, David begins running from his murderous father-in-law, King Saul. David and his ragtag army travel from one place to another, often mere steps ahead of Saul’s sword and spear. It was during this season of David’s life when he wrote several of his psalms. 

Counselors often tell their clients not to waste suffering. This is an ambiguous expression requiring discussion and contemplation. David didn’t have time to discuss much. He had to run or die. Even so, in his quiet moments of introspection and reflection, he wrote what was going on in his soul. Aren’t you glad he did? Who would benefit if you were to write your own story as you go through it and reflect on it?

Read this chapter and see how David and a group of his men were in the right place at the right time to kill Saul. Notice David’s restraint. Hear his conversation with his king, his father-in-law, and his pursuer. Do you remember the last verse of Psalm 23?

Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭23‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Just as Saul relentlessly pursued him and very nearly did him in, David recognized God would never stop chasing him to rescue him, protect him, guide him, and provide for him. David escaped close calls from Saul three times, but he never escaped God’s goodness and unfailing love. 

Sometimes, God chases us to bless us. Other times, God chases us to get us moving in the right direction, like Aslan chasing Shasta and Bree in The Horse and His Boy. Sometimes, he chases us because we think we can run away from him for whatever reason, and he wants us to learn that we can never escape from his presence, as David wrote in Psalm 139. (You get extra points today if you read this psalm in light of 1 Samuel 21-24.)

Why is God chasing you today? 

What do you need most from him? Courage and confidence? Mercy and grace? Peaceful rest and restoration? Guidance and provision? Psalms 23 and 139 tell you about God’s heart, hands, and endurance. He has all you need, and he wants you to receive his kindness, which you can always anticipate. 

It was David’s kindness toward Saul that moved Saul to tears (1 Samuel 24:16, 18, 19). Kindness is an expression of extravagant love and lavish mercy. It led Saul to see what God saw in David and what was missing in his own heart. 

“Yes, you have been amazingly kind to me today, for when the Lord put me in a place where you could have killed me, you didn’t do it. Who else would let his enemy get away when he had him in his power? May the Lord reward you well for the kindness you have shown me today. And now I realize that you are surely going to be king, and that the kingdom of Israel will flourish under your rule.”
‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭24‬:‭18‬-‭20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Today is a good day to allow your mirror neurons to reflect God’s kindness to everyone you meet. Let everyone anticipate kindness from you. Become a bearer of grace and mercy. Remove revenge and retribution from your range of responses. Choose life. Live like a king or queen of Narnia who flourishes forever in the presence of God. 

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I will live in such a manner that everyone can anticipate kindness from me.

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Our Father, fill my life with your kindness. May it rule my heart and mind, my will and ways, and the words of my mouth. Amen.