“David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. So when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him. And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him.”

‭‭I Samuel‬ ‭22:1-2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Today’s reading involves one of my favorite memories – The Cave of Adullam. During my first visit to Israel in 2010, I had the opportunity to hike up to the Cave of Adullam with my mentor and spiritual father, Pastor Olen. It wasn’t an easy hike but the views at the top made it worth the climb. 

One thing that touched my heart about David in the Cave is the crowd that gathered around him. David’s 400 men were misfits – distressed, in debt, and discontented. 

As I stood staring up at the Cave, listening to the sound of the majestic waterfall nearby, I was taken by the sheer magnitude of it. It was much larger and grander than I imagined.

I still remember the words G-d spoke to my heart as I stood imagining David, his family, and the band of misfits hidden there – words of comfort that He saw me and He had a place for me, in spite of what I saw and felt in my flesh. 

My heart was flooded with the memory of standing there, beside Pastor Olen, while G-d’s presence comforted and arrested my heart. 

I’m encouraged that G-d has a place for me and ones like me who have been broken and distressed, who have felt or even now feel out of place with no sense of belonging, and who have a soul debt and heaviness not easily remedied. He has a place for me and for you, for misfits that don’t know where we belong, and that place is right beside Him, hidden in the safety of His heart where we are fully loved and fully accepted. 

Father – thank You for allowing my feet to touch this place. I’m forever undone by Your goodness. Draw me closer to You and make my heart content with You alone. You are good. Your leadership in my life is perfect and You can be trusted. Amen. 

Daily Reading: I Samuel 21-24