A MAN AFTER GOD'S OWN HEART
Written by GroovyGranny
Posted on Wednesday, July 30, 2008 at 08:12 AM.
You would be hard pressed to find the person that doesn�t at least know the plot line of the David and Goliath story. It�s become the cliché story for the underdog champion. This story was only the beginning of David�s remarkable faith. So remarkable was David in fact, that God called him a man after His own heart. (1 Samuel 13:14)<br />
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Though David was special to God, it didn�t spare him from difficulty. He had to face many challenges and even lived as a fugitive. Samuel had anointed David to be King after Saul. David became almost a brother to Saul�s son, Jonathan and was husband to Saul�s daughter, Michal. Saul saw David receiving love and favor from God and his country and became jealous. He tried many times to kill David or have him killed; David had to live as a fugitive. (1 Samuel 19) <br />
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Even as he was pursued and under threat of death, David trusted in the Lord. God had told David he would be king and David believed and trusted God. He knew that God would see him through adversity. <br />
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But David was far from perfect. When he sinned, he sinned big. David became infatuated with Bath-sheba, a woman married to David�s soldier, Uriah. David had an affair with Bath-sheba and she became pregnant. He compounded his sins by trying to cover them up. He arranged for Uriah to be sent into a particularly hot battle where Uriah was killed. (2 Samuel 11) <br />
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The Lord sent Nathan to David with a story about a man wronged. David decreed the wrongdoer should be killed and the wronged man should be restored four times over. Then Nathan says that David is the wrongdoer and David confesses to his sin. Without hesitation, David asks for forgiveness and accepts the consequences of his sin. �So David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the Lord." And Nathan said to David, "The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. 14 However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die." (2 Samuel 12:13-14 NKJV) <br />
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David�s sins were severe and so were the consequences of his sins. Yet, he didn�t try to hide from them or blame God for their consequence. He accepted responsibility for his actions and dealt with the pain they caused. Many of us try to hide from our sins, too and even when confronted with them we deny them. We get angry at the hardships that are brought on by our own choices instead of accepting the responsibility for them and doing better.<br />
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The world has become a litigious place; if anything happens to us we�re ready to sue someone. We look to place blame on anyone and anything other than ourselves. It�s not too hard to imagine a man in David�s position first claiming the heat of passion to get out of the penalty of his sins with Bath-sheba and then suing God for the loss of his child. So many lawsuits are brought by people unwilling to take personal responsibility and suffer the consequences. Imagine what it would be like if we were more willing to be like David and shoulder the blame and the penalty. <br />
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From David we can also learn a great deal about praying. David didn�t sit across the table with God and have discussions with Him. He had only prayer, just as we do. So, how did David reach God and hear God�s answers? By studying the Psalms, we learn how David talked to God. We glean several models for prayer. <br />
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Not all the Psalms are by David but at least 73 of them are. In the Psalms by David, we find prayers of devotion and worship. Psalm 138 begins: �1 A Psalm of David. I will praise You with my whole heart; Before the gods I will sing praises to You. 2 I will worship toward Your holy temple, And praise Your name For Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name� (NKJV)<br />
David�s Psalm is saying that God is above any god that we could create, any heavenly being like angels. He worships God by acknowledging and proclaiming His sovereignty. <br />
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Many of David�s Psalms are prayers of thanks. As difficult as things were for David, he never forgot to thank God. From Psalm 103 �1 A Psalm of David. Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: 3 Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, 4 Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, 5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. � (NKJV) <br />
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When I'm struggling with knowing how to pray and learning how to hear God�s voice, I spend some time with the Psalms of David. He learned to talk to and listen to God like perhaps no one else ever has besides Christ. In prayer, David found comfort, forgiveness and direction. Prayer can do the same thing for us if we only spend the time to do it. <br />
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David was a remarkable man. Obedient and patient, he persevered through hardships trusting in God. He relied entirely on God. When he did stumble, he was quick to repent and ask forgiveness and didn�t repeat his sins. He took personal responsibility for his actions and didn�t try to get out of the consequences. He took the time to learn God�s voice and thank God in everything. All of us could learn from David.
