The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? …be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!
Psalm 27
We often think of David as the author of the Psalms of the Old Testament. He is the author of many and, this one is another of his praises to the God of Glory. Most of the psalms were written to be songs for the congregation to sing, praising God for His goodness, grace and, mercy. God called David into his role as king of his nation, Israel. But, even as a shepherd boy, David worshipped God as he tended his father’s sheep. David was an artist as well as a warrior, playing musical instruments of his day, writing songs, while wielding weapons to ward off predators of his father’s sheep. In 1 Samuel 16, God had rejected Saul as king and instructed Samuel to go to Bethlehem, to Jesse’s house, to anoint Saul’s replacement whom God would reveal to Samuel from the sons of Jesse. In 1 Samuel 16:7, God tells Samuel, “For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” When we consider the Psalms, especially those written by David, we should, also, consider that God has revealed to all humanity, through His Creation and His Word, that He sees the heart of man, for there is the true nature of each human ever created. God created humanity to glorify God and enjoy God forever. Throughout human history, God has looked upon the hearts of all humans and, chooses those whom He has appointed to be a Bride for God the Son. In David’s case, from childhood, David was “a man after God’s own Heart.” This description of David’s heart is given, in Scripture, many times. Though David is shown to be a godly man and king, God shows David’s sins so that we do not think David to be more than we are as humans. Though David wrote many psalms praising and glorifying God, he was a man like us. As we live our life daily before the Face of God, we need to be mindful of God’s constant gaze upon all His creatures. Can God say of His chosen ones, Christians today, that we are a people “after God’s own Heart?” May all Christians strive to be in an attitude of glorifying God through all our waking hours. It will change how we see the world and how we treat our fellow man.
Source: S C Ball May 13, 2023
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