These days I have had the opportunity and interest to get back to reading the Bible after a long period of spiritual dryness. I would like to write down what I learn from my readings so that it will be useful for me in the days to come.God calls David, 'a man after my own heart', so it will be interesting to delve deeper into the character and life of a man who has merit such a title from the sovereign Lord God.
The story of King David is a most interesting one for me. I liken myself to him because his spiritual life is full of ups and down.He is a vulnerable man and whose only strength is the Lord. If I have to put it romantically--David is lost, lifeless and demotivated when He sense that God is in anyway distancing Himself from him. David's strength lies in the Lord and he derive pleasure in acknowledging it, even to the point of humbling himself and doing things that goes against his kingly status. I Chronicles 15 records how David wearing just a linen ephod dances in front of God's altar much to the displeasure of his wife Michal.
The Psalm is a collection of five books and contains praise, prayers and teaching psalms.It is a window to the soul of King David as this is where he pour himself out before the Lord and his emotions in its varied forms: anger, doubts, loneliness, sadness, suspicions is reflected. But, in all cases, he always emerges triumphant over his problems, in short his prayers in whatever forms always turn into praise at the end. Not only does, he emerge victorious over his doubts, sins and problems, but he always grow wiser and closer in the Lord.(In your anger, do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent Psalm 4:4)
I wonder, if our prayers were to be written down like those of David, would people be able to make out the content in which we prayed? We do not need to polish our prayer to reach the ear of God (C.B. Samuel).My readings of Psalm 50, 51 & 52 made me realise one beautiful element in king David's understanding and relationship with God. He knew the God he worship so well--what was He like? or His likes and dislikes...the way you know a close friend. The prayers reflects an understanding of who God is. He knew he hurt God when Nathan came to him and unveiled the sins he committed (adultery with Bathsheba and making arrangements to kill her husband). SO, he prayed a prayer of remorse and regret in Psalm 51.
King David says--" You do not delight in sacrifice,
or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
My sacrifice, O God, is[b] a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.(Psalm 51: 16-17)"
His struggles are also evident in his prayers. In Psalm 55 he wrote:
“Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest.
I would flee far away
and stay in the desert;[c]
I would hurry to my place of shelter,
far from the tempest and storm.”
God place him to a position of great power and honour. But, that does not meant that his life would be devoid of problems. A high esteemed ranking or role does not necessarily mean a happy one. It goes to show that the higher the responsibilities, the more you need God to direct and walk by your side. On the contrary, we find that many people move away from God when they deemed themselves to be successful in life by man-made achievements and accolades. This had led to a life of disillusionment and unhappiness. This is evident in many celebrities turning to drugs for comfort and meeting with tragic ends.
Finally, another and the last point that is evident in David's prayers is the sense of solace He finds at the feet of God: both in happy and sad times. God is faithful and He is able to see us through any trials only if we put our hopes in Him. In Psalm 55, he says--cast your cares on the Lord, and He will sustain you. The assurance is that there is always light at the end of the tunnel. The days of groping about in the dark might be long, but His hand is there for us to hold us and take us out to the light at the end of the tunnel. We just need to pray for wisdom and Godly insight to have the sense to search for HIS HANDS and to also recognize which hands belongs to HIM.
