David had a good handle on applying previous experiences with God’s faithfulness to facing his current challenges. And at 9 ft. tall, Goliath is arguably greater than any challenge I have ever had to face. Before the battle, David told Saul, “The LORD who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” I Samuel 17:37. But however big the problem, it’s the same faithful God.
Heartbroken, rejected by Jerusalem…again
“And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.” Genesis 6:6.
God is love. His heart is tender and sensitive, although this does not make Him weak or “spineless.” He retains His Kingly majesty, power, and holiness. These make His love all the more remarkable. He certainly does not have to love us. By all rights, He should not have to take abuse from anyone. How far had humanity gone before the flood? How much rejection and willful evil did it take to break the heart of almighty God? Another translation says, “His heart was filled with pain.” This was the same Heart that later did not spare His only Son for sinners. What evil had these people done to cause Him to regret even having created them? Apparently humanity was not grieved over its sin, but God was.
This verse paints a terrible picture of One who is wise, loving, powerful, One Who could snuff man out of existence with a single command. But He chose to risk the possibility of rejection by creating free agents. A similar scene was repeated thousands of years later as Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem, His city, the city that had rejected Him in the past, the city that was about to crucify Him. But He chose to continue with the Father’s plan of redemption, to give His life “a ransom for many.” God’s heart is tender and merciful. David was a man “after God’s heart.” He knew that “His mercy is great.” I am humbled by His Heart.
Watching over little lambs
A SHEPHERD’S SONG OF PRAISE
By David, Jesse’s son
Just as I am a shepherd who watches over his sheep,
so also the LORD is my Shepherd
who cares for my every need.
For instance, when I am weary,
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
or when I feel stressed,
He leads me beside slow, soothing streams.
My time with Him renews me completely.
Like a sheep, I tend to wander off,
but He always steers me in the right way,
so that I may honor His Great Name.
Because the Lord is my Shepherd
I am never afraid. Even if I were walking
through a dark valley in danger of imminent death,
I would fear no evil,
because You are with me.
It comforts me to know that,
like a shepherd armed with rod and staff,
You are fully able to protect me from any harm.
You prepare a feast for me, blessing me so openly
that my enemies look on with envy.
You pour the oil of gladness on my head,
welcoming me as a friend to your banquet.
The cup you offer me never runs dry.
In fact, it continuously overflows!
All this convinces me
that I will enjoy good things
every day of my life,
that I will always be secure in His love,
and that when this life is over
I will go to live in the house of the Lord
forever.
Amen.
–My translation, from my book, “A Harvest of Miracles.” Houston: Halcyon Press, 2009.
David knew how to shake’em down!
Worship is a natural love response to the God who loves us. It comes from the heart. I worship God sometimes when I am overwhelmed by a glimpse of who God is. Often that happens in church and often while I’m singing. In my most profound worship moments, I have been unable to speak, broken, my spirit sending gratitude to the Father.
I have worshipped in a lot of churches, but I can’t speak authoritatively about what was in the hearts of those around me. At times it has seemed that they–and I–were just mouthing the words, both from old hymns and contemporary worship. Sometimes we sounded like we were singing ourselves to sleep, especially with those hymns in which we are singing sermons, or doctrine, to ourselves. I’m not much into those. My concern is not whether we are singing but whether we are worshiping in spirit and in truth. There is no formula, no tradition or innovation that automatically produces “better” worship.
David knew how to worship, and it started in his gut. At least once, he danced before the Lord with all his might. It’s good to think about these things and seek to go deeper because I think we have only scratched the surface and only have a vague understanding of what is happening in Revelation when angels and saints worship God day and night.
You can surely glimpse God anywhere, but I think your chances are better when you stretch your heart and spirit out toward Him.
THE RISE OF SEREN
Momentary Meditations on the Eternal God
God Glimpses 