David was a true worshipper, who worshipped God in Spirit and in Truth, irrespective of his short indiscretions. One major thing to note about David was this – For as long as David was busy worshipping God, he did not have the time to listen to the devil. This is because Worship will cause us not to listen to the voice of satan.
We see in the incident where David was incited by the devil. David listened to satan, and he counted the armies of Israel against God’s will. This illustrated that David focused on the power of the armies rather the power of God. Read 1 Chronicles 21:1-7.
David was always at his best when he stuck to worshipping God, however, he failed miserably whenever he took his focus off God, as we see in the case of Beersheba. It reminds us of Proverbs 16:27, “Idle mind is the devil’s workshop; idle lips are his mouthpiece”. One main reason why David faced many persecutions in his lifetime, was because he was not only a servant of God, but he was also a true worshipper of God. Psalms 34:19, “The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all”.
David through worship revealed God’s character, secrets and heart to us in the book of Psalms, by making himself an available vessel for God to use; and we are eternally grateful for that. David was a man who did not just have knowledge of God, but He knew God personally, and he worshipped God personally. David was a man given to many prayers. He was a man of prayers and Psalms. He did not just live a life, He honoured God with his whole life.
David was an effective communicator, who communicated diligently and effectively through his worship to God. Worship trained and perfected David’s ways before God. In other words, when God was displeased with David, He would be silent to David prayers. Therefore, David gradually learnt that his complete obedience to God, was vital. The character of God rubbed off on David, through the times he spent worshipping God. Through David’s Psalms, God has brought comfort to our hearts.
What David’s Psalms Represents
The many Psalms of David illustrated and reflected many things about him. We will now look at some of those Psalms which I have divided into Fourteen attributes of David’s life, and what they represented.
1. His Character: Psalms 139:21-24, “Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD, and abhor those who rise up against you? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting”.
2. His State of Mind, His Focus: Psalms 121:1-2, “I Will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From whence shall my help come? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth”.
3. Times and Seasons: Psalm 102:13, “You will arise and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show favour to her; the appointed time has come“. David understood and trusted God’s timing in all things.
4. His Attitude: Psalm 119:11, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you”. This was a man whose heart was inditing in a good matter and his mouth was like the pen of a ready writer.
5. His Reverential Fear of God and the things of God: Psalms 76:7-8, “At your rebuke, O God of Jacob, both rider and horse lay stunned. But you, you are to be feared! Who can stand before you when once your anger is roused? From the heavens you uttered judgment; the earth feared and was still”.
6. His Bravery: Psalm 27:1-3, “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident”.
7. His Fears and Persecutions: Psalm 13:1-4, “How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? how long shall mine enemy be exalted over me? Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death; Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him; and those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved”.
8. His Thanksgiving: Psalms 100:4, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name”.
9. His Consecration: Psalms 2:7-8, “I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father. Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession”.
10. His Source and Confidence were God: Psalm 23:1-4, “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me”.
11. His Deep and Sincere Love for God: Psalms 18:1-2, “I love you, LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold”.
12. His Repentance: Psalms 51:10-12, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me”.
13. He Enjoyed Fellowship with God: Psalms 63:1, “You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water”.
13. His Desires: Psalms 27:4, “One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple”. This was a man who had died to self, and was alive for Christ, just like Galatians 2:20 says. Read it out loud!
After this comprehensive review of David as a worshipper, his life story demonstrates to us that David was indeed a man of like passion just like any one of us. His life story should encourage us to seek the face of God through worship, irrespective of what and how we feel, or the many trials in our lives. His story reiterates to us, that all that really matters as we live on the earth, is how we honoured God with our lives in the earth.
Our Attitude should be like that of David, who believed in God’s power, love and forgiveness. Worship was one major thing that always Reminded and Re-Assured David of God’s love for him. In closing, one of my wisdom quotes states, “That a God’s pleaser and worshipper, is to be feared by all means”. David was feared greatly by his enemies because his worship to God, compelled God to prevail and establish a wall of Fire that surrounded him. One key thing to note about David is this, he was a man who worshipped God consistently, regardless of his circumstances. He was in no way a seasonal worshipper and that was his secret to his fruitful relationship with God.
Praise God!!!