‘As the deer pants for streams of water so my soul pants for you, O God’. (Psalm 42:1)‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart’ (Acts 13:22 NIV)
King David of Israel wrote many of the Psalms, and in them we get an insight into how David nurtured his faith.
Here are some areas we can learn from David to enable us to nurture our faith and help it grow.
1. Connect with God in the Morning
‘In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.’ (Psalm 5:3)
Whether you are a morning person or you take a few coffees to get going try to start your day in an attitude of faith and trust. Connecting to God in the morning is a way that David cultivated his faith. David reminded himself about the love of the Lord each morning and he presented his requests to him.
Praying in the morning, especially about the day that is coming is a really good habit to get into. It is the best way to start the day; it helps us to go into the day in an attitude of faith.
2. Think about what God has done during the day
‘I will meditate on your wonderful works.’ (Psalm 145:5)
Meditation means that David thought about, contemplated and considered how wonderful God is and he remembered the things that God has done throughout the day.
This is a wonderful way to help our faith grow, because as we remind ourselves what God has done in our lives and in the lives of others it can help us rely on God throughout the day.
3. Trust in God’s Parenting no matter what
‘I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go’ (Psalm 32:8)
David trusted God’s plan for his life, he believed God’s promise that he would guide him in the best way for his life.
Trusting in God means actively believing that God is for us and not against us and that he is watching over us like a parent.
4. Spend time with God’s people
‘I have kept myself from the ways of the violent.’ (Psalm 17:4)
Who we spend time with is very important and who we listen and take advice from is even more important.
Are we building and cultivating relationships with the right people who will strengthen our faith and encourage us to trust God?
It’s not that we should only be friends with Christians. But we should make sure that our closest most intimate relationships are with those who will help our faith to grow.
So these are four ways we can help our faith to grow that we learn from David’s Psalms, four ways that can help us be a man or woman after God’s own heart.
Prayer
Father, may our heart be like yours as we connect with you, as we think about you, as we trust you, and as we live with your people.
Amen
Have a good week learning from David.
Pastor Barry
