The Voice of David
My walk with God has been varied. I have climbed the highest mountains and I have fallen into the deepest pits of despair. I have ridden on the crest of a wave and I have also crashed and burned. Most of that was of my own doing, of course. Yet through 1t all, God has been my constant’ — my comfort, my shelter and my help.
As a boy, I was called and chosen; anointed by a messenger of God and set apart for great things. My brothers (all bigger stronger and more handsome than me) were passed over and I was chosen. My heart was full of praise for God: how majestic his name is in all the earth; how wonderful it was to be in his service!
I worked in my father’s fields as a shepherd boy and I understood the importance of looking after the sheep: caring for their every need; finding them good grass to eat and clean water to drink; keeping them safe and secure. So when God showed me that he would be the shepherd for the nation and we would be his sheep, I understood.
As I grew, he was there, always at my side with a shepherd’s rod and staff. He was my comfort, protecting me against my enemies — even the time when I stood before the giant Goliath. When it seemed to me that death was fast approaching, when I found myself in the valley of its shadow, even then I was not alone, for God was watching over me; he was my shield and my hiding place.
I gazed up at the hills, looking for someone to help me, but my hell’ did not come from there. Rather, it came from God. And who better? He who made heaven and the whole of the universe!
I gazed up at the hills, looking for someone to help me, but my help did not come from there. Rather, it came from God. And who better? He made heaven and the whole of the universe!
However, some of the choices I made separated me from his presence, driving a gulf between me and my Lord. I chose death over life again and again. On one occasion I became infatuated with my friend’s wife, so much so that I just had to have her for myself. It’s so hard to confess this but I actually used my position as king to manipulate the situation in my favour. I sent my friend to war, to fight on the front line, and therefore got him killed. I then justified to myself that as he was now dead, it was acceptable for me to marry his widowed wife. I took her just because l was king and therefore I could. It took a man of God called Nathan to show me the error of my ways. Then, of course, I fell to my knees, recognising that the chasm between me and my God was completely of my own making.
God knows me so well — perfectly, in fact. And he has loved me and sought me out despite my sin. He was the one who originally formed me in my mother’s womb, and he knew the choices I would make before l even made them. It’s incredible to think about it, but his design was perfect— I am wonderfully and awesomely made by him, and I am in precious in his sight.
As long as I live, I want to praise my God with a full and thankful heart. As I often sing, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!”
Prayer
God of all knowledge and grace,
help me to recognise that you are always with me,
both in the highs and in the lows of my life.
Help me to use the talents and position you have given me
for the good of people around me and not for my own benefit.
Help me to walk the days of my life on a path of righteousness
and to offer your comfort and strength to all those I meet.
Amen.
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