Lessons from David…

Rumor has it that our heat wave is on its way out. I certainly hope so. I mean, low 90s that feel like low 90s will be welcome over the 90s that felt like 100+. But…the humidity and heat aren’t the reason for today’s post. David is. Or…should I say…the lessons learned from this morning’s message about David and the worship service in general.

Since today was the last Sunday of the month, it’s our Family Sunday. This means that the kids stay with the adults, I have the privilege of sharing a children’s sermon, and our church family shares a meal following the service. To be honest, I LOVE this Sunday of the month (of course, I’m a fan of the other Sundays too.)

Let’s look back at David. He was a shepherd boy. Yet, when Samuel came to the house of Jesse…it was young David that God had him anoint as the one day king rather than his holder stronger brothers. Yep, that was….surprising.

Then, later Samuel sent him to King Saul’s camp. While he was there, he volunteered to face Goliath. It wasn’t one of the strong and mighty warriors. It was David. The one God chose. Normally, when you’re picking someone to defend you, you’re going to pick the strongest and biggest…not a young guy with a …slingshot. God doesn’t always do things the way WE think makes sense, but we can trust that His way makes MORE sense. Why? Because He’s God. He sees the whole picture, and we only see our little glimpse.

Jump ahead. King Saul becomes jealous and…well…he starts losing it. He tries to kill David. David had the opportunity to King Saul, but…David didn’t . Oh, and I didn’t mention that David’s best friend was Jonathan. Who’s Jonathan? King Saul’s son. Yep. The guy to become the king after Saul is the BEST FRIEND of the man who others would’ve thought would become king. Huh? What? See….God does things His way. Not according to the ways of the world.

Skip ahead. King David decides he wants to build a temple for the ark of the covenant. His adoration of the God who he worships prompts him to tell Nathan that he wants to build a temple worthy to hold the ark of the covenant That in itself isn’t a bad thing. David’s excitement and commitment prompts him to want to show them through an offering by building a temple. Then, Nathan sleeps. God speaks to him through a dream. And…God doesn’t rebuke David’s passion, but He redirects it to the plan God has.

He shares that David’s son will be chosen as the next king (Solomon), and that he would be the one who builds the temple. But…He also gives us a glimpse of His promise.

You see…not only would Solmon, David’s son, be the next king, but….THE KING would also be in David’s family tree.

Now THAT is a reason that David couldn’t see when he was picked as the next king…when he was picked to fight Goliath…. when his plan to build a temple was vetoed and redirected. As Pastor Tyler pointed out, “God has REASONS- plural– for what does. He’s too big of a God for a reason.” [Or he said something similar.]

Don’t get me wrong. King David messed up A LOT. He wrote some psalms about the BIG WAYS he failed God. Yet, he was known to God as one who loved Him faithfully and would follow Him wholeheartedly. He was a man after God’s own heart.

So, here’s the recap of the DAVIDIC Lessons I learned this morning…

1. God does things in a surprising way. (Picking Jesse’s youngest son.) He can do that because…He’s God.
2. God uses those who others would overlook to do great and mighty things. (David fighting Goliath.)
3. God doesn’t rebuke our passion when it’s prompted by our love and devotion to Him, but He will redirect it to align with His plan (David didn’t build the temple.)
4. God is too big of a God to have A reason for what He plans…He has multiple reasons (David’s life).
5. God forgives what the world may see as unforgiveable when we genuinely confess and repent (David’s sins)
6. God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things (Jesus’ family tree…look beyond David and you’ll find other surprising people [Rahab] making the tree).

Now, I also learned a couple others things during worship that had nothing to do with David.

7. God brings joy through the little things. My favorite hymn is How Great Thou Art, but the range…is beyond me. If I sing it in a key for the verses to sound good, then my ‘head voice’ would be required for the chorus and NOBODY wants my head voice amplified in a mic. If I sing it in a key for me to hit the chorus notes, then…the verses would go lower than my low voice. So….God allowed me to sing it with Missy – who’s blessed with a higher range and much more skill than I am. I led on the verses, and Missy led the choruses. Thankful.

8. Always listen to the still small voice. Whether it’s the Voice that gives you an idea on how to provide a message to kids on David OR if it’s the skilled un-amplified voice that hears me singing the first two words on the wrong key…and sings softly beside me…to get me to “the right notes”.

Always watch for the lesson. All of life is filled with take-aways. Whether it’s from a sermon, a children’s message, a song, or simply…life.

Now…I think….my next lesson is … when it’s summer and my eyes are struggling to say open…lean back…and see if “the boys” [aka RockyTop & BlackTop] want to lure me into a nap.

Thanks for reading. Enjoy your day. It’ll be a hot week, but…it doesn’t look AS hot as last week. So…that’s my final lesson…always look for the good. It’s there if you look for it.