TODAY’S WORD FOR THURSDAY DECEMBER 29, 2016.
DAVID
DEFINITION:
A model of servant hood.
And now, O Lord God, You are God, and Your words are true, and You have promised this goodness to Your servant. Now therefore, let it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue before You forever; for You, O Lord God, have spoken it, and with Your blessing let the house of Your servant be blessed forever. II Samuel 7: 28-29.
For the last few devotionals we have looked at the lives of four great men of the faith from the Old Testament. Tomorrow we will look at the life of Paul from the New Testament. We can learn, from each one, principles that can be applied to our lives today. It is our prayer that these five devotionals, about these men that God used and blessed, will make a life changing impact on your life.
In II Samuel 7:5 God gave David the title, “My servant” when He said to Nathan, “Go and tell My servant David” In David’s prayer to God recorded in verses 18-29, David spoke of himself as “Your servant” ten times, acknowledging that he desired to be God’s servant.
David served God in many capacities. He went from being a simple shepherd boy to a heroic ruler. We want to look at the various stages of his life so we can clearly see how his deep devotion to God allowed the Lord to use him mightily. David was not perfect and neither are we. We can learn from the life of David that God can use us, even though we are not perfect, just as He used David in spite of his shortcomings.
As a shepherd David learned how to protect the sheep. It was a job that he took seriously, even killing a lion and a bear to protect his sheep. As a shepherd he became strong and brave in order to take care of creatures weaker than himself. He had an early obedience to his earthly father who taught him the humility that he would need in order to depend on God.
David’s writings reveal his hunger for God. He was open about his own issues like fear, depression, defeat, loneliness and sorrow. David provided in his writings glimpses of himself for us to see that show that he knew God intimately. He described valley experiences so vividly and how he went to God for His leading and protection.
David was a commander and King. These positions were ones of privilege and power. He lived a life that was plagued by heartache, pain, suffering, and conflict. In his times of despair, he turned to God who David knew was the source of comfort and mercy. From a young age David had come to understand that the Lord was his strength, his shield and his help. (Psalm 28:7)
In spite of his deep devotion to God, David committed great sins in his life. David acknowledged he had sinned and sought the Lord’s forgiveness. God forgave him and continued to use him. His restoration teaches us about the consequences of sin, but more importantly it shows us the limitlessness of the grace of God and how great is His mercy toward us. No matter what the circumstances were in his life, David never ceased to honor God and give Him praise and all the glory.
King David served God’s purpose when he lived but more importantly the record of his life in the Bible continues to impact every follower of Christ to this day.
David wrote 73 of the Psalms. David wrote these Psalms from his own human experiences in life and his close relationship with the Lord. His Psalms are a great source of comfort, of encouragement, of hope and inspiration to all who read them.
Have you been challenged by David’s example of obedience and service to the Lord? He is a great example of what God can accomplish through us if we yield our life to Him.
Our memory verse for this week is found in Jeremiah 29:13.
And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
How I rejoice in the testimony of the lives of the godly men that have lived in years past for the example they are to me today. Help me to be an obedient and willing servant serving You faithfully as I seek Your direction in my life each and every day.
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