10 Reasons David’s Called “A Man After God’s Own Heart”
(Part 4 David Was Trusting)
“And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will” (Acts 13:22)
David wrote, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1
It is often said, “there is nothing new under the sun”, and in the case of troubles that come our way, this is certainly true. Just like David, we are often tried by enemies, troubles, sorrow, and sickness. Just like David for Christian’s today refuge in times of trouble is found in the same place, the LORD. It was Job who said, “Man who is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble.” (Job 14:1). The young have little or no way to relate to this, but the older we get the more aware we are of the accuracy of Job’s words. Troubles mount up against us swiftly and often come out of nowhere and in the moment, we know only one thing; We are “full of trouble.” For most people when they are “full of trouble”, they’re overwhelmed to the point that they become fatigued and distressed turning to men for aid and comfort, crying out for help but finding no release.
The problem is that man cannot help like the LORD can. A few things David, and possibly others wrote on the subject, “Give us help from trouble, for the help of man is useless.” (Psa. 60:11, 108:12). “Do not put your trust in princes, nor in [a]a son of man, in whom there is no [b]help.” (Psa. 146:3). “Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul would soon have settled in silence.” (Psa. 94:17). David acknowledges that man cannot deliver himself, and man cannot find deliverance in men. By saying “Settled in silence”, in that last passage David was declaring without the Lord, his soul was dead. We can turn to man, even noble men (Psa. 146:3) but only in the LORD will we find true deliverance and safe haven.
Read through David’s words in Psalm 118 and know the confidence he had in the power of the Lord. Psalm 118:8-9 “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans. 9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.” When David was troubled, surrounded by the nations like a swarm of bees, he proclaimed, “You pushed me violently, that I might fall, but the Lord helped me” (Psalm 118:13).
Like David, to all who “fear God and keep His commandments” (Eccl. 12:13), the knowledge we share in the power of the Lord brings us to one of our greatest blessings in the Lord, that is we can find special providence in time of need. Though the workings of God are often difficult to identify, knowing that He has promised to help His people who serve Him and that He cannot lie (Titus 1:2), comforts the troubled heart in any situation. One of the great messages of the Scriptures is that God helps and delivers those who trust in him. David wrote, “And the Lord shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in Him” (Psa. 37:40).
Thus, we conclude that God can and will help in times of trouble. “39 But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in the time of trouble. 40 And the Lord shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in Him.” (Psa. 37:39-40). Because they trust in Him. Yes, we will be troubled from time to time, tested because we live in a sinful world, but we don’t have to be overwhelmed. Like the Psalmist we can just ask, “Why are you [d]cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance” (Psa. 42:5). Indeed, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psa. 46:1).
“5 Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God, 6 Who made heaven and earth, The sea, and all that is in them; Who keeps truth forever, 7 Who executes justice for the oppressed, Who gives food to the hungry. The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners. 8 The Lord opens the eyes of the blind; The Lord raises those who are bowed down; The Lord loves the righteous. 9 The Lord watches over the strangers; He relieves the fatherless and widow; But the way of the wicked He [d]turns upside down. 10 The Lord shall reign forever—Your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the Lord!” (Psa.146:5-10).
David puts all his faith and hope in God, who made heaven and earth knowing He alone can deliver every man who trusts Him and chooses to live by His commandments. Most certainly everyone who does this will be happy and blessed.
God is eternal, He is timeless, and so is His message of refuge and strength in times of trouble. Therefore, the same promise, “God will help His people”, is found in the gospel. Believe this: “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (Heb. 13:5-6). “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” [a]Amen” (Matt. 28:20). “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God…I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:6, 13). “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Pet. 5:6-7).
The promises of God are written, and undeniable, God is always going to be available to help those who place their trust in Him and do His will. What a wonder it is that the Creator would promise man such things. We remember that unlike man, our LORD, “…is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” (Eph. 3:20).
James said, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17). So, know when troubles come, and they will come, we must be wise that we do not wrongly charge God with them for He is not the cause of the troubles. Through Him we, “obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16). It is the Devil who is the source of our problems, not God. Of this Peter said, “Be [a]sober, be [b]vigilant; [c]because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet. 5:8).
Jeremiah said, “Lord, my strength and my fortress, my refuge in time of distress, to you the nations will come from the ends of the earth and say, our ancestors possessed nothing but false gods, worthless idols that did them no good” (Jer. 16:19). It is reasonable that those who do not put their trust in God, will never have the, “peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” (Phil. 4:7). It is also true that all the peace, all the afore mentioned promises are only applied to the Christian who will apply all the precepts of God to his own life.
Love
Dave Scarpino