Can We Learn from the Way David Worshipped God?
King David, Paul, and Peter,
they were just like you and me. When we read about the men and women of the
bible, we should remember that they were people just like us. They simply lived
in a different time, and maybe a different country, or culture. They had needs
and faced hardships just as we do. Imagine that the world is still around a
thousand years from now and the story of your life was written in a book
similar to the Bible. You are just living what you now consider your normal
everyday life, but for the person reading it in another era, it may seem
extraordinary as they read about it. I imagine that David was living what he
would have considered to be an ordinary life. He worshipped and praised God in
a way that was familiar to him. He probably had no idea how inspiring and
influential his words and actions would become.
Many of the Psalms, the poetic
songs, were written by David to express his feelings, love, trust, and worship
of God. David was a - shepherd, father, brother, son, warrior, king, and
prophet. He faced many challenges, enemies, and hardships throughout his life.
He also committed some serious sins that brought him guilt and sorrow. What
inspired him to praise God in all those circumstances?
As a young lad, David spent
most of his time taking care of his flock. When he was between 15 -19 years old,
the Prophet Samuel, sent by God, chose him and anointed him to be king. Later King
Saul chose him to be his armor bearer. Saul eventually turned against David
because of his accomplishments and for a few years, David’s life became a
living hell as Saul tried to have him killed. While running for his life, God sustained
him in every situation. He knew God as his Savior, his Rock, his Refuge, his
Deliverer, his Shield, and his Strength. When you are facing hardships how do
you relate to God?
We know it is easy to praise
God when everything is going well, but when things become difficult, praising
God is the farthest thing from our minds. On the other hand, when things are
going well for some of us, we attribute our successes to our own efforts and
forget about God’s love and mercies toward us. As soon as we are in trouble,
we cry out to Him for help and even blame Him for our calamities.
David’s Relationship with God
We can clearly see that David
had a deep and personal relationship with God that sustained him in every
situation. Like David, we need to have a deep and personal relationship with
the Lord Jesus to sustain us in every situation. God's presence, power,
protection, provision, forgiveness, and faithfulness were evident in his life. One
unique quality of David was that he had a repentant heart. He is known as the
man after God’s own heart.
One of the reasons why I find
the Psalms appealing is that for any situation that I face, there is one that I
can identify with. One that describes clearly and with depth what I am feeling,
even when I am unable to put my own feelings into words. The Psalmist was
honest and sincere. He did not hide or deny his emotions or struggles. He
poured out his heart to God in prayers and lamentations. He expressed his
fears, doubts, complaints, and questions to God. He even went to the extent of asking
God to kill his enemies. Sometimes we feel the same way. This shows that it is
important to have this type of relationship with the Lord Jesus where we can
pour out our hearts and raw emotions to him in prayer.
God is seeking true
worshippers to worship Him in spirit and in truth. David enjoyed worshipping and
praising God. On one occasion he danced out of his clothes. His focus on
worshipping and praising God was one of the secrets of his success. He played
his harp and sang songs of praise. David encouraged himself in the Lord. The
more the name of the Lord is magnified the more confused the enemy becomes. David
used the same methodology to win every time. He used it when he killed the bear
and when he killed the lion to protect the sheep.
His life showed us how critical
it is to trust in the Lord, lift Him up above our troubles and trials, and hide
the word of God in our hearts, just like David did. He faced Goliath fearlessly,
not in his strength but relying on the power of God. He had no fear, and he was
not intimidated. He operated in the spirit of the Lord.
There are many Psalms of
praise because David's praise was not only on behalf of himself. It was also
for others. He also wanted to share his experience of God with others. He
wanted to encourage others to trust and worship God. He wanted to testify of
God's greatness and glory to the nations. He wanted to invite others to join
him in praising God. One of my favorite Psalms 34:3-5 “O magnify the Lord with me
and let us exalt His name together.” What is one of your favorite Psalms?
The Psalms are for all
generations. They have been preserved and passed down as part of the inspired
Scriptures. They have been used by countless believers throughout history as a
source of instruction, comfort, inspiration, and expression. They have been
sung, prayed, quoted, and meditated on by people from different cultures,
languages, and backgrounds. They have been fulfilled and enriched by the coming
of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, and the Son of God.
I believe that David lived his
life knowing that God was everywhere with him, knew everything he thought, said or did, and that He could do anything. Nevertheless, he tried to hide what he had done
to Uriah, but he was rudely awakened when Nathan the prophet told him, “Thou
art the man.” He could hide what he had done to Uriah from the people around
him, but he could not hide it from God. God revealed it to the prophet (2
Samuel chapters 11 -13). After David’s sin was revealed, God told him to choose
his punishment, 2 Samuel 24:14 “And
David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let us fall now into the hand of
the Lord; for his mercies are great: and let me not fall into the hand of man.” David preferred to trust God than to trust man.
We too should learn to trust the Lord our God more than we trust any person.
In
summary, David's life was a life of triumph, praise, prayer, and worship. The shepherd
boy who became a king. He was chosen by God and anointed by the prophet when he
was just a teenager. He endured great tribulation and was actually crowned king
at age 30. Therefore, he spent between
11 -15 years on the run, hiding from King Saul. This shows that the Lord Jesus
keeps his promises. Even though to us the journey may seem long and arduous we
should keep on trusting, believing, praying, worshipping, and praising the Lord
Jesus like our brother David did. 1Thess 5:18 “In everything give thanks: for
this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
