I’ve always been inspired by David, who wrote many Psalms in the Bible. David was a man of deep devotion, worship, and expression. His life was characterized by great high points and deep low points. David worshiped throughout a life of waiting, running, danger, celebrating, being with family, or peace.
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Recently, I wrote about the challenge of the wait that characterizes our life in this season. Part of this time has been a greater understanding of David and his worship.
The book of Psalms in the Bible is an amazing book. I go to the Psalms frequently as a worship pastor, both personally and professionally. It’s full of heartfelt worship expressions of all kinds.
All kinds.
In fact, many of the psalms start with a tone that we wouldn’t consider “worshipful.”
Consider the opening lines of Psalm 13:
How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and every day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?
Look on me and answer, O LORD my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;
my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.
Here is a worship psalm that clearly starts with an uncertain tone. It’s not a style of expression that we find in most songs written in modern times. Unlike David, we struggle with expressing our more negative emotions to God. Emotions like anger, discouragement, doubt, uncertainty, questions, etc. We think that God can’t handle these emotions, or perhaps that they are disrespectful.
But David didn’t seem to struggle with this. Through prayer and song, he expressed the reality of his life before God. He didn’t sweep his thoughts and feelings under the rug, even if they weren’t joyful. He laid them out before God. And in the end, he met God.
Or did God meet him?
Psalm 13 ends this way:
But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
I will sing to the LORD,
for he has been good to me.
The end result of David’s honest expression? God didn’t scold David. He didn’t withdraw His promises. Instead, David’s eyes were drawn back to God. He was reminded of God’s greatness and sufficiency. Even in the midst of uncertainty, the unchanging character and nature of God is enough for David.
David worshiped.
I’ve always been inspired by David and his ability to express honest (and uncomfortable) realities in the context of worship. Psalms like Psalm 13 have challenged me in how they begin with despair but end in honest worship. Not only personally, but in how I can help others be honest before God with the reality of life.
And I’ve always known this about David, but now I understand a little better what was going on in David’s life as I also wait and wonder how much longer it will be until God takes us to the next place of ministry. Even in the midst of my prayers filled with questions, my heart is continually drawn back to simple expressions of trust and dependence on God.
What have you learned about worship from David?
