David, shepherd boy and king, teaches me the secret of real prayer and praise.
The secret? God is everything and I am nothing without the Lord.
Typical of David's thoughts is this passage in Psalm 20: "Some nations boast in their chariots and horses, but we boast in the name of the Lord our God."
The name of God means the character of God - who he is.
David complained to God when things were going badly for him. And he was sometimes depressed. But he was filled with underlying trust in the Lord, even in the bad times.
For instance, in Psalm 43:5, David fights his depression with these words: "Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again - my Saviour and my God!"
David sought God's guidance even in the midst of battle preparations.
In 2 Samuel 5, David and his followers are cornered by the Philistines in the Valley of Rephaim and David turns to the Lord for direction on how to fight them. God tells him not to attack them head-on but to circle around behind the enemy and wait for the sound of marching feet in the trees before attacking. He does and wins a battle against superior numbers.
Psalm 27 expresses David's heart. He says he will not be afraid even though he is surrounded by the enemy because God is with him.
And then he declares: "The one thing I ask of the Lord - the thing I seek most - is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord's perfections and meditating in his temple."
In 1 Samuel 13, Samuel tells King Saul that God has already chosen a leader to replace him - a man after God's own heart. That man was David.
Why was he man after God's own heart? Because David's heart sought God's heart and was willing to do whatever God asked him to do - even when everything seemed stacked against him.
I realize that I depend a lot on my own plans. And I want some glory for myself.
David knew who deserved the glory - it was his Lord.
David went off the rails in his life - particularly when he lusted after Bathsheba, another man's wife. He arranged for the death of Bathsheba's husband and married Bathsheba.
But he repented when his sin was pointed out by the prophet Nathan.
There is sometimes a cost to worshiping God and doing what he asks us to do. The prophet Jeremiah was persecuted when he warned the people that judgement awaited them if they persisted in turning away from the Lord. But Jeremiah's prophecies and his example have had an eternal impact.
Like David, the apostle Paul considered all his accomplishments worthless "compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord" (Philippians 3:8).
That's the spirit of praise and prayer that truly touches God's heart.
The secret? God is everything and I am nothing without the Lord.
Typical of David's thoughts is this passage in Psalm 20: "Some nations boast in their chariots and horses, but we boast in the name of the Lord our God."
The name of God means the character of God - who he is.
David complained to God when things were going badly for him. And he was sometimes depressed. But he was filled with underlying trust in the Lord, even in the bad times.
For instance, in Psalm 43:5, David fights his depression with these words: "Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again - my Saviour and my God!"
David sought God's guidance even in the midst of battle preparations.
In 2 Samuel 5, David and his followers are cornered by the Philistines in the Valley of Rephaim and David turns to the Lord for direction on how to fight them. God tells him not to attack them head-on but to circle around behind the enemy and wait for the sound of marching feet in the trees before attacking. He does and wins a battle against superior numbers.
Psalm 27 expresses David's heart. He says he will not be afraid even though he is surrounded by the enemy because God is with him.
And then he declares: "The one thing I ask of the Lord - the thing I seek most - is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord's perfections and meditating in his temple."
In 1 Samuel 13, Samuel tells King Saul that God has already chosen a leader to replace him - a man after God's own heart. That man was David.
Why was he man after God's own heart? Because David's heart sought God's heart and was willing to do whatever God asked him to do - even when everything seemed stacked against him.
I realize that I depend a lot on my own plans. And I want some glory for myself.
David knew who deserved the glory - it was his Lord.
David went off the rails in his life - particularly when he lusted after Bathsheba, another man's wife. He arranged for the death of Bathsheba's husband and married Bathsheba.
But he repented when his sin was pointed out by the prophet Nathan.
There is sometimes a cost to worshiping God and doing what he asks us to do. The prophet Jeremiah was persecuted when he warned the people that judgement awaited them if they persisted in turning away from the Lord. But Jeremiah's prophecies and his example have had an eternal impact.
Like David, the apostle Paul considered all his accomplishments worthless "compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord" (Philippians 3:8).
That's the spirit of praise and prayer that truly touches God's heart.
No comments:
Post a Comment