Urgent prayer and other matters if we face a violent attack

I had been reading and meditating on Psalm 59. In verses 4 and 5, David is asking God to rouse Himself and wake up to move with urgency to protect David from assassins. King Saul had seen some bad hombre, agents, to kill David. The setting for this prayer is given to us in 1 Samuel 19:11-18. David's bluntness in talking to God intrigues me.  This is an epigrammatic psalm which means it is concise, clever and amusing style. The Psalm is a planned composition from beginning to end. His purpose is to teach people that God does hear and will punish wicked people who live and do evil as if God doesn't exist. Sounds like news in the daily paper, doesn't it.  In verse 7 these assassins respond, "Who hears?" David's overacting with awake and arouse are part of the epigram in which God laughs, vs. 8
Our experience we may ask God to wake up, we may feel He delays action but we can rely on the truth in Ps. 121:2-7
2 My help comes from the Lord,

Whether off the back of a bench
Using a tree can be used for starters.

Who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not allow your foot to slip;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, He who keeps Israel 
Will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord is your keeper; 
The Lord is your shade on your right hand.
6 The sun will not smite you by day,
Nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will protect you from all evil;
He will keep your soul.
David's plan that night was to be lowered from a window in the darkness and use his stealth and speed to run away to safety. He was keenly aware of the danger and made a military analysis of his foes. Ps. 59, 1-3; 4a, 6,7, 121, 14, 15.
In light of David's ability to be aware of the danger and know when to run or when to confront evil got me thinking about our strategies to deal with those who may want to harm us. Bear Grylls advise on survival is to make the best plan you can and give it 100% and continue to work at it. We may lack his skill set and training but each of us could be aware of our strengths and weaknesses and plan something that gives us the best chance to survive.

Or a harder push-up off the seat
These are good ways to increase
body strength to assist your self-defense 

(In your own security plan think it through. My ideas may get you thinking, but there are certainly better ones out there. so think it through.) Note David’s plans for security involved escapes, running, fleeing, guile, retreating to well defensible positions, hiding, and at times confronting his opposition. We too should wisely see our options. 

See danger ahead move away from it. Evil out to harm you seek shelter and refuge. Abuse comes to mind. 

In your home secure windows and obtain strong doors and locks. Have your phone ready and you know danger lurks call as soon as you can 911. Take self-defense class and do 20 pushups. Always be aware of parking lots or walking. Walk with a friend. 

Staying in abuse or visiting dangerous places is not wise. 

Whatever tools you may use to survive a violent attack know how to use them legally and with skill. David used all these strategies and he still had to pray for God’s safety. We cannot presume and ignore danger singles. But we know God is key to our protection. Prayer is one of the weapons confronting evil, but if the bad guy is coming in then we have to flight or fight. If we choose non-violence then we have to be prepared for the consequences. Giving up may help us survive. Or it could be the worse thing to do. 

 Awareness, preparation, and moving away from danger the best options. Danger usually comes in ambush.

David’s praying is not easily deduced from 1 Samuel  19:11-18. Prayers in danger are usually short and to the point. Keep walking