Biblical Strategies for Maintaining Sanity in a Distressing World

Shared on March 12, 2025

Introduction

We find ourselves today living amid a lot of chaos. People are losing jobs, grocery prices continue to climb, and bitterness, hatred continues to soar. Such times can be rather taxing on the soul of the believer. Some of us are growing exhausted while others are showing signs of giving in to the bitterness and hatred of today’s world. Exhaustion or giving in is not healthy for the believer. So, how do we go about maintaining our sanity admist all of the madness?

In this week’s study, we are going to take a look at both Saul and David from 1 Samuel 18:1-16; 19:1-2, 9-10.  Saul is going to represent those who are of the world.  David will represent the believer.  We are going to take a look at how both men conducted themselves in our study this week.  Our goal will be to study how David maintained himself when dealing with the an unhinged Saul.

David’s Rise in Popularity

So, after David defeated Goliath, Israel and its army saw a boost in confidence.  Those living within the land of Israel also experienced a period of relief.  As I’ve said in recent studies, good leadership can uplift a people, while poor leadership can tear down a people.  Though he wasn’t king yet, God had already brought His king, His blessing, to the people (1 Sam. 16:1).

However, for Saul, David defeating Goliath was like a double-edged sword.  You see, on one hand it was good because it uplifted the people, and gave Israel a big victory.  On the other hand, Saul watched as David and Jonathan, Saul’s son, became close friends (1 Sam. 18:1,3-4).  After making David a commander in his army, Saul watched as all the people accepted David.  

Remember, not everyone accepted Saul as king (1 Sam. 10:27).  Let’s also not forget that Saul was a narcissist or at least had displayed narcissistic tendencies.  On one occasion the people’s praise of David had finally got to Saul.

In 1 Samuel 18:6-7, when they had returned home from battle, Saul could hear the women singing how he had slain his thousands.  On a normal day, this may have been something that put a smile on his face.  However, on that day, he heard the women also sing about David having slain his “ten thousands”!  

Now, narcissists don’t ever want to hear someone else being praised!  So, you could imagine the anger and rage boiling up in Saul in that moment.  Thoughts about his own son and his own servants loving David probably going through his head!  Then thoughts about the people loving David more than him also boiling over!  

1 Samuel 18:8-9 tells us that he began to look at David differently – he had a change of mindset.  Saul could feel he was losing everything!  Saul could feel his kingdom being threatened from the inside.  In the mindset he had, Saul felt he had only one thing he could do.

The Reason the Wicked Despise the Righteous

Let me tell you something that you probably already know:  the wicked doesn’t want to see you prosper.   Let me tell you another thing that you probably already know:  the wicked can’t stand to see you be happy.  It pains the wicked to see you rejoice.  Why is that?  

The answer is provided to us by Saul in the words he was uttering while he heard David being praised.  While Proverbs refers to the wicked as fools, let’s not mistake the wicked for being idiots because they are far from idiots.  Saul could feel that something wasn’t right – he recognized it in his soul!  

The wicked can tell when things have shifted for you, both good and bad.  We often comment how it seems that the wicked will only come around when they know we’re down.  Well, on the opposite end of that, they can tell when you’ve uplifted and are enjoying God’s blessings as well.  

The happiness of the righteous is a threat to the wicked.  Why is that?  In Saul’s case, he was witnessing David receive what he wished and desired to receive but couldn’t.  Think about the great lengths that Saul went to just to be praised but never received.

Many believers often believe the wicked have what we don’t have, but that is also far from the truth.  The wicked loves to portray their being “happy”, but their “happiness” is temporary.  The reason their happiness is temporary is because their happiness comes from worldly devices.  

The wicked, believing they know the way to happiness, love to encourage others to follow their path to success.  So, to see the righteous find happiness another way, it bothers them.  The wicked doubts God, and so, for us to be blessed by what they doubt, it frustrates them.  

The sincere believer has found everlasting joy, so that even in time of sorrow, we greatly rejoice.  This is the kind of joy the wicked desire, but they won’t, and they can’t, turn to God because it goes against what they believe.  Saul, for example, had the opportunity to experience such joy in his life but he turned it down to do his own thing.  Saul began to despise David because he began to recognize that David was everything he wanted to be.

Saul’s Behavior Grows More Irrational 

So, on the next day, Saul tried to kill David by throwing a spear through him (1 Sam. 18:10-11).  Saul was not behaving as one who had been anointed by the Lord.  Yes, if you have forgotten, Samuel anointed Saul before he became king of Israel (1 Sam. 10:1).

After he anointed Saul, Samuel told him, “The Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man (1 Sam. 10:6).”  It happened just as Samuel said, after Saul was anointed, 1 Samuel 10:9-11 tells us that God gave Saul another heart.  The Spirit was upon him and he prophesied among the prophets.

So, how did Saul go from prophesying with prophets to a man that would have killed his own son, nonetheless kill David, just to protect his throne?  The Spirit of the Lord stopped resting with Saul because of his continued disobedience (1 Sam. 16:14).  

So, Saul didn’t maintain his anointing because he refused to listen to God!  Saul’s downfall, in a way, reminds of mankind’s fall in the garden.  Man was created in glory and had it in the garden until Adam and Eve disobeyed.  Because of sin, we have to work today to obtain that glory.  

Even more, again in 1 Samuel 16:14, we’re told that God replaced His Spirit with a “distressing spirit” that He gave to Saul.  Scripture tells us that the distressing spirit troubled Saul; it gave him anxiety.  In 1 Samuel 18:10, we are told that the “distressing spirit from God” is what drove Saul in his attempt to murder David!

I believe a distressing spirit is present in the world today.  Again, this spirit comes from mankind choosing to reject God.  As Paul said, those who choose not to retain God in their knowledge, God gives them over to a debased mind to do that which isn’t fitting (Rom. 1:28).  

Today, we can see how man is consumed with obtaining the riches of the world.  We watch as the wealthiest people put wealth and “power” over the well-being of others without any reluctance or remorse.  Many, like Saul, are filled with envy, covetousness, and jealousy; they are overly selfish and uncaring, which is unhealthy for the soul.

Maintaining Ourselves in Today’s World

So, now that we understand the kind of spirit we are surrounded by, how do we maintain ourselves?  How do we deal with those who set out to stand against us, harm us, and be our downfall?

Shielded by the Lord

When Saul attempted to murder David, we are told that David escaped his presence twice (1 Sam. 18:11).  

Honestly, this portion of the verse is rather vague but it is vague with intent.  The reason why I say that it’s vague is because we’re not told how David escaped.  Not only aren’t we told how he escaped but we’re told he had done it twice.

Had Saul thrown his javelin at David two times on this occasion?  I suppose that it is possible that maybe he threw it one time at David and David dodged it.  Then, maybe, after David dodged it the first time, he returned, began to play his harp again and Saul tried to kill him again.  I can’t say whether or not that factually happened as that would be speculation on my part.

Had Saul tried to kill David prior?  Nothing in scripture suggests that Saul had tried to kill David prior to this.  However, in 1 Samuel 19:9-10, it is recorded, where Saul attempted to murder David, again, by throwing a spear through him.  I believe that what’s recorded in both chapters are two separate occasions.  It is possible that what is written in 1 Samuel 18 was written with knowledge of what is recorded in 1 Samuel 19.

However, there is a pointed difference between both chapters when speaking of David’s escape.  In 1 Samuel 19:1-2, Jonathan spoke to his dad and Saul outright told him his intention of killing David.  Jonathan, being David’s close friend, warned David that Saul was going to try to kill him.  So, when David was playing his harp on that occasion, he went in knowing that Saul might make an attempt on his life.  Jonathan’s warning put David on guard.

However, in 1 Samuel 18, there is no mention of such a warning.  The only description we have is that Saul had tried to kill David the day after he heard the people praising David.  So, David was playing his harp in 1 Samuel 18:10 with no forewarning that Saul was moved to kill him.

Again, 1 Samuel 18:11 is very vague when speaking about how David escaped and was not killed by Saul.  Personally, I believe that David’s escape on this occasion was unexplainable.  1 Samuel 18:12 also implies that it was a miracle that David wasn’t killed because Saul was able to recognize that God was with David and had delivered him.

If I had to speculate, I believe that David may have missed being killed by what some today would say was luck or happenstance.  Maybe he was really into playing his harp, eyes closed, and dodged Saul’s javelin because he happened to lean forward or backwards.   It’s also possible that Saul, with his distressing spirit, was filled up with so much rage that he just missed David.

Have you ever experienced times where if you had moved a second earlier or later, you could have been hurt?  I believe this was one of those cases where David was protected by God, and didn’t realize what happened until after the fact.  There are so many moments when we have unknowingly escaped hurt and harm because God is with us.

While we are certainly surrounded by those who move against us and desire that we suffer, God will maintain us first.  I think something that all of us believers should always remember is that we are shielded and protected by the Lord.  As Paul said, “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair (2 Cor. 4:8).”

Heed warnings and flee from distressing spirits

David has also shown us that we must heed warnings.  Looking back to 1 Samuel 19:1-2, Jonathan’s warning was not something David took lightly.  Many of us get into the habit of not taking warnings seriously.  Why?  Because we often believe that we know better.

Jonathan knew, firsthand, that his dad was going mad.  Remember, Saul believed Jonathan should have died because Jonathan had gone against his foolish “curse” (1 Sam. 14:43-44).  I’m not sure if Jonathan had shared that story with David by that point, but it certainly would have been unwise of David not to take Jonathan’s warning seriously.

We have received several warnings, through scripture, about the day we live in and that we must be on guard.  Jesus warned that believers would be mocked, despised, and persecuted for His name’s sake (John 15:18-21).  Jesus warned that because of Him, there would also be divisions in households (Matt. 10:35-36).  Yes, Jesus warned that we are going to have trials and tribulations (John 16:33).

Moving through the Spirit, the apostles and ministers of the gospel also gave warning about the day we would live in.  People like Peter warned that the time would come when there would be scoffers that mock faith in the Lord (2 Pet. 3:3-4).  Paul warned how selfish, uncaring, and wicked people would become in later times (2 Tim. 3:1-3).  John wrote about the spirit of antichrist that was present in his day, and is certainly present and active today (1 John 2:18).

Though these warnings sound dire, they are warnings that came with hope.  Jesus tells us not to fear the wicked but to be of good cheer.  Jude tells us to build ourselves up on our most holy faith (obedience) during such times (Jude 20).  One who lives in obedience ought to heed the warnings and take precaution.

As Jesus taught us, though we have tribulation, He has given us His peace.  Therefore, His peace should have rule over our heart— our emotions, thoughts, and actions.  Self-control is one of the fruits of the Spirit that I believe many believers are falling short of today (Gal. 5:22-23).

For whatever reason, many believers have felt the urge to become combative with distressing spirits.  It does no good for you to become combative with a spirit that desires for you to become combative.  Do you think David would have lived after that second occasion had he chosen to confront Saul?  Honestly, there is no telling, but he would have certainly put himself into even more danger.

I am not one for testing distressing spirits.  Yes, I know that the Lord keeps me in His care, but at the same time, God has given me a sound mind.  So, as David did, there are times where we must understand that it is OK to flee from distressing spirits to maintain our sanity!

Be wise in 

Matthew 7:6, Jesus tells us not to give what is holy to dogs nor cast our pearls before swine.  Proverbs 26:4-5, tells us not to answer a fool according to their folly.  Proverbs 29:9, tells us that if a wise man fights with a foolish (unwise) person, whether they rage or laugh, there won’t be peace.

It is hard for some believers to hear this, but when one has shut the door and refuses to open the door to sanity, you must go your way.  If God gives those who reject Him over to a debased mind, guess what you should do to those who have made that choice?  Many of us are wearing ourselves out today because we are trying to do what God even gave up trying to do.  

Behave wisely in your way

In order to maintain our sanity, we must be more wise in our way.  When Saul tried to kill David, he fled from him and only returned the next time because Jonathan had spoken to Saul.  After the second occasion, when Saul tried to kill David, David fled and never came back to him.  Saul harassed David throughout the land, seeking to take David’s life, but he could never touch David because David wisely followed the Lord.  

Many of us are growing weary because we feel our efforts are being washed away by foolish people.  The fool is causing many of us to turn from the fundamental principle of our faith, and to act with a distressing spirit.  The devil, we must always remember, desires to fill us up with a distressing spirit so that we are moved away from the Lord.

We can maintain ourselves in a distressing world.  To do it will boil down to the mindset that you choose to move with.  You see, Saul chose the distressing spirit because he chose not to listen to the Lord.  We must choose to listen to God and have a healthy spirit as His Holy Spirit will abide with us.

As Paul said, we must not grow weary in doing, for in due season we will reap the benefits (Gal. 6:9).  No matter how difficult the distressing spirits of today may make things, we must not grow weary to heeding God’s voice and moving in obedience.  Your diligence, your wise behavior, will be rewarded with the good that is of the Lord.