If you read the Psalms that David wrote it won’t take long for you to recognize a pattern. A pattern of intimacy and power. What do we know about David’s approach to God? Well we know that he was credited as a man after God’s heart. This is the ultimate compliment you can give a modern believer. Many believers like to associate their pursuit of God after David’s because it epitomizes the heart-to-heart connection with God we all desire. In fact, in Israel’s history most Kings refer to David as their ancestral father for this very reason.
What was so unique about his connection that makes him such a patriarch in biblical history and icon in modern Christianity? Well I think one of the clues is his unique communication with God. There is something deep in the core of David that bubbles forth when he writes or sings. I kind of hope that springs up from the depth of his soul to defy the process and engage in an encounter with God. He is known for rejecting the strict rules the priests were given, trading the process for undignified worship. Something the priests feared they would suffer for. However there is no fear in love. Remember their approach to the holy of hollies was marked with purification processes and even then they were not sure they wouldn’t drop dead in the presence of God. Where God is, sin and affliction can not hide. And in those days sin was bound up in the heart of a man so exposing himself to God without the cleansing rituals, meant certain death. Just for extra measure, a rope was tied around their ankle, just in case they dropped dead, this way they could pull a dead priest out without having to go in and be exposed to God’s presence. David proceeds to enter the holy of hollies and talk directly to God, usually only done by a priest of Levi.
So how did David thrive in this culture and environment? It seems obvious now after the death and resurrection of Jesus, that all God wanted was an intimate, heart-to-heart connection with His people. That deep in the heart of God is this unquenchable desire to be connected with us. It seems to supersede rules, process and formula. Isn’t this the reason He sent His son? So that we may be reconciled to Him? It proves that He will go to great lengths, moving heaven and earth, to be connected with us. And when we just look at him with one look of desire in our eye, it says in Song of Solomon, He lavishes the kingdom upon us. David understood this. God’s perfect love casts out the fear. David was practiced in his ability to draw the favor of God into his life.
One of the clues we have is the way he wrote the psalms. They are an inside look at David’s heart. It is easy for us to strip it down and turn it into a process, but it flows from the heart of a man in intimate embrace with his God. The overflow of David’s heart shows several clues about the posture of a heart after God’s heart.
First off David was a master of intimacy or “into-me-you-see because I showed you”. He bypasses traditional prayers moving away from the first levels of communication [i.e. spiritual cliche's, facts and opinions] and moves right to opening his heart. Intimacy is only for the brave. He shares his feelings and needs openly and honestly. The reason he is so good at this is because he has developed a great trust cycle with God.
A trust cycle looks like this: Need Awareness –> Need Expressed –> Respond to Need –> Need Satisfied –> Comforted –> repeat…..
As God satisfied his needs, David’s trust grew, and a safe place for intimacy increased. What we see in the Psalms is a result of practiced intimacy in the presence of God.
Next David builds his own faith or strengthens himself in God. Notice how often he repeats a testimony and how often he makes prophetic declarations about who God is and what He will do. David is a master of pulling to the surface the testimonies, promises and prophesies of God. This is a clue to where his faith came from. This is more than just great self talk or a and inspirational pep-rally. This is the renewal of our minds; the alignment of our minds with the mind of God. It is the very essence of the spiritual warfare of an advancing kingdom of God that the gates of hell can not stand against.
Psalm 61
1 Hear my cry, O God;
Attend to my prayer.
2 From the end of the earth I will cry to You,
When my heart is overwhelmed;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
3 For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy.
4 I will abide in Your tabernacle forever;
I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah
5 For You, O God, have heard my vows;
You have given me the heritage of those who fear Your name.
6 You will prolong the king’s life,
His years as many generations.
7 He shall abide before God forever.
Oh, prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him!
8 So I will sing praise to Your name forever, That I may daily perform my vows.
The heart after God’s heart is evident in David as we observe his communication style and the hope that he carries in the midst of trials. He is intimate with the Father, easily sharing his feelings and needs, and he is adept at strengthening himself in God, by repeating the testimonies and declaring the character and promises of God over his life. This is the pattern of intimacy and power that leaves an imprint in history like no other. It is the the blueprint of a life poured out in the pursuit of God’s heart. It is the clue to attracting the attention of heaven and the favor of God for your life.
So what is the problem? The problem is this doesn’t come naturally to all of us. In fact we are so conditioned in our relationships that what we feel and need has no value and the enemies plan is for us to easily forget the testimonies and promises of God, that we find this exercise really difficult. It was never supposed to be this way. You were created to carry the testimonies and promises of God and to intimately commune with Him.
Often relationships have gotten us into this mess and they will get us out. If we can practice this kind of communication style and and hope building with friends we can trust, as well as the God, we will become masters just like David.
