What David faced, we all face; how David struggled, we all struggle. In varying degrees an in various flavors of sin, but we are all made of the same stuff. There are no super-saints.

Now let's apply that perspective to an example from David's life. As we move on in this chapter to the last big events of David's “struggling years,” we will see that he and his men fled the cave of Adullam and hid in the wilderness of Judah. Did he feel happy about having no sure place to live, no reliable source of income, and being responsible to take care of hundreds of men as well? Certainly not, but God empowered David to be victorious by rejoicing in the Lord in his unending struggles—whether he felt happy or not. Just as that was a key spiritual secret behind David's greatness, so it is for those who also seek to be a God-hearted servant.

Now let's look at what went on in David's life after moving out of the cave of Adullam. This was a challenging yet exciting period because God was in the final phase of preparing David to assume the throne as king!