A Heart and a Faith like David

On a typical weekday I wake to my alarm at 5:30 am. I then head out to walk my dog, Max, while I listen to a devotional from my Lectio 365 app. Upon my return, I then grab a cup of tea, open my ipad and watch a portion of one of my favorite Biblical teachers on youtube all while taking copious notes. I end the day with a last walk with Max while listening to the evening devotional on the Lectio app. I’m, if anything, a girl of routine. 

I’ve spent the last month watching the Prime series, House of David. Last week I headed to the theater to see the new Angel production of David. So, I’m pretty inundated these days with thoughts of…you guessed it, David. And the thing that I can’t seem to get past is his unwavering devotion to God. A devotion with little or no support from anywhere or anyone. He’s off in the fields alone playing his lyre and shepherding his sheep while fighting lions. He stands before a giant alone with nothing but a slingshot. He’s running from Saul desperately trying to save his life, most of the time alone. All the while maintaining an unwavering trust and faith in God.

Yes, he was brought up to know the stories and the power of God. And, yes, he was anointed by Samuel to be the next king of Israel. And, yes, scripture says that upon his anointing, the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him. But in his youth and young adulthood, the years prior to his role as king, I can’t find anywhere or anyone who spoke into him. Who prayed over him. Or who taught what to do with the Holy Spirit. I’ve lived for 72 years, listened to teachings on the Holy Spirit, been prayed over with the power of the Holy Spirit, and yet I still feel like I’m floundering.

When I’m discouraged, afraid or uncertain, I’ve got resources filling my iphone and book shelves. I’ve got people who I can call immediately for prayer. And I’ve got unending resources online and from Amazon’s next day delivery. David had none of that. And yet his faith was astounding. It was simply God and David. Not for a moment did he doubt. Or if he did, his Psalms always returned to what he knew of God. Psalms that serve and inspire me today.

So my question to myself is this: Would I remain faithful to God without my apps, without my books, without my friends, without my teaching videos, without my church? Could I maintain my passionate love and trust in God when I’m faced with loss and threats and rejection if it was just God and me?

I want so badly to say yes, but I’m not sure. I should be sure. Goodness knows how many hours I spend trying to know God better, and yet I’m afraid. Afraid that there’s a weakness in me that has become dependent on other people and other things. I don’t think God is asking me to sleep in, set it all down, turn it all off. But I think he might be asking me to pray for a heart and faith like David. 

So as I head into a new year, that’s my prayer for myself. That if, make that when, there comes the time when I have to face an enemy, I pray that I will be strong enough in my belief in God that I can stand alone in that “open field,” and speak with great confidence, “I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel." And then take my shot.