“The Lord is the stronghold of my life -of whom should I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1b)

Many years ago I went on a spiritual retreat with God that was incredibly special. I prayed, fasted and repented for some days before I went. When I did this I found that God seemed to show up in some profound way... often having some sort of theme for our time together that would just totally bless me.

I remember for this specific retreat, God spoke to me as I was arriving, “I am going to show you David's God.” Then He proceeded to give me a picture of Himself through David's eyes that blew me away. I don't remember the specifics but I remember it was like David was with me the whole retreat and I was seeing God through his eyes. God was so immense and significant in David's life.

At Open Door once, David Johnson, the Senior Pastor, turned around put His hands and the air and was addressing the Spirit of God. I could tell that God was huge in his eyes and that he had tons of reverence for God. I can't remember the context of why he was doing this, but I remember thinking in my heart, “He knows David's God!”

How we see God very much matters.

How we see God will determine how we live our lives, who we live for, what we do with our time, what we think is important and how we express our faith. It will impact how we love others and how much grace we give ourselves.

If we see God is piously holy who is exacting and watches our every move to make sure we don't sin – how does this effect how we live our lives? We will watch our every move, trying super hard to be holy, earn brownie points and live piously above everyone else. We will also treat others according to this standard and judge them self righteously for their sin.

If we see God as not concerned for our lives, just put us here but doesn't really care about us – this impacts our lives as well. We will live our lives as we choose thinking God doesn't see and God doesn't care what we do. We will control, manipulate, lie and deceive to obtain what we want.

David says in Psalm 12:4-6, “They [unfaithful ones] lie to one another; they speak with flattering lips and deceptive hearts. May the Lord cut off all flattering lips and the tongue that speaks boastfully. They say, 'Through our tongues we have power; our lips our own -who can be our master?”

At one time I saw God as a holy God who was angry and wrath filled. As long as I was getting everything right I was okay, but when I screwed up, I became terrified. I would frequently wake up at 3:00am in the morning in an anxiety attack because I realized I sinned the previous day. I would go into my prayer room and, desperately terrified, look to God to find out if I was going to be in big trouble.

I was just waiting for the disaster that was around the corner because of my sin. I couldn't understand grace at all. I had this little scripture book God always spoke to me profoundly from when I would open it up. At 3:00am I would turn on some music and open this little book expecting to hear something about how this was the last time and I was in big trouble now. I just knew the hammer would drop this time and it would be a total disaster.

Instead, I always seemed to open it up to the pages that were filled with His profound mercy and grace. I would read some words about how as far as the east is from the west, so far was my transgressions removed from me. Or how He is with me, will rescue me and help me. I would just sit there and sob for awhile while I stared at the words then I would go back to sleep.

Funny because when I started not to need this book anymore and had started to get hold of an understanding of grace, the book disappeared for a season. I searched every nook and cranny and could not find it anywhere. Then a year or so later, it showed up again out of the blue. While it is a wonderful memory of that season, it no longer works the same to speak to me the way it did back when I needed it.

It is worthwhile to ask ourselves – How do we see God? Do we see David's God or some other image of God that puts Him in a box or is smaller than who He is? How is this impacting the way we live? What is the fruit in our lives?   

If we are not sure a good question to ask ourselves is, Where are we in fear or bondage of some sort?  At the root of it is probably a false belief about God or an understanding of Him in our hearts that is much smaller than the truth about Him. 

One thing that can get confusing is the difference between theological beliefs and the truth we know about God in our heart. David was a little shepherd boy with no theological training. He played the harp and sang songs to God. This qualified him to be the one God deemed as 'after His own heart.” David knew this God and proclaimed Him from the heart in his psalms.

Not that theological beliefs are unimportant -especially for those who are called to build up the body of Christ, helping Christians to have a solid foundation. But our own faith is not built on words.  It is built on the truth of what we know in our heart about God.

Brother David Steindl-Rast writes, “In the Gospels, Scripture scholars tell us that there is not a single passage in which the Greek word for “faith” (tietis) means, strictly speaking, “beliefs.” For example, that Jesus marveled at the Roman official's “faith” means that he was surprised by the man's deep trust, not by the way he could rattle off a list of beliefs. He would have found it hard to do so. And when Jesus reproved the disciples for their “lack of faith,” he meant their lack of trust and courage; it wasn't a reprimand for dropping one or another article of faith from the creed.” [1]

“What I know will save your life: I know, I know that God is able, I know, I know, that He still reigns, I know, I know that Love has found a way” sings.

David was a man with deep trust and courage. His faith was not a set of beliefs as much as a relationship he had with God and the way he saw and knew God.

“The more I seek You, the more I find You... this love is so deep, it's more than I can stand, I melt in Your peace” sings.

Psalm 1:6

“For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous [Whatever he does prospers (vs. 3b)], but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.”

David saw God as closely attentive to Him. David knew that God watched over him closely as well as those who were doing wickedness. Not a God that was doing so to keep score, but in love, helping him along the path that leads to righteousness.

Also, David saw that those who delighted in the Lord prospered – not in the sense of becoming rich, but in the sense of becoming a life giver like God (a tree bearing fruit). While those who followed a path of wickedness led to ruin. It is evident in life that sometimes those who follow a path of wickedness become rich and successful. David is most likely not speaking of this, but rather their smallness in a sense of their inability to give freely to others in a way that generates life.

Psalm 2:9

“You will break them with a rod of iron; You will shatter them like pottery.”

David saw a God that deals with rebellion, wickedness and mockery. In David's eyes, God is not a wimp. His feelings get hurt and He is grieved by sin. But while He is incredibly grace filled and longsuffering, He also sees and deals with the sin. God does not ignore sin, turn aside, pretend He doesn't see it or let people walk all over His commands. Rather people will suffer consequences for their sin when they continue down rebellious ways.

Psalm 51:1

“Be gracious to me, God, according to Your faithful love; according to Your abundant compassion, blot out my rebellion.”

David saw a God who was forgiving and full of grace, bringing restoration. David had an affair with a woman and then killed her husband who happened to also be one of David's thirty mighty men – a trusted warrior. When he realized his sin, he did not run from God in fear or hide in shame like Adam and Eve in the garden. Rather he turned to God and asked for forgiveness, cleansing and full restoration. When he repented, David knew that God was kind, longsuffering and forgiving.

“Who are we, that you would be mindful of us? What do you see that You look our way?” sings

Psalm 3:5-6

“I lie down and sleep; I wake again because the Lord sustains me. I ma not afraid of thousands of people who have taken their stand against me on every side.”

David saw a God that protected him against his enemies and sustained him in difficulties. Over and over in the Psalms, David cries out to God when he is surrounded by his enemies. He knew God as a shield around him who attentively listens to his cries and comes to his rescue. God is his deliverer from trouble, His hiding place, refuge, and stronghold.

David was living in caves and knew incredible difficulties. Saul was hunting him down to kill him. Yet David kept turning to the mercy of God. He trusted that what God allowed (his hiding in caves) was in God's care for him and that God would see him through. He knew if he needed help, God would come down and rescue him. He refused to take matters into his own hands. 

God, like any good father will let their child experience difficulty for their child's growth, but would quickly step in if there is potential harm – even if it meant stepping out in front of a car or risking one's own life. (A great scripture to meditate on this is Psalm 18).

Psalm 4:3

“Know that the Lord has set apart the faithful for Himself; the Lord will hear when I call to Him.”

David saw a God who took ownership of him and listened to him.  David knew his position as a son. He knew that God not only saw him but deeply loved him and called him his own. Because of this, he also knew he was heard. He had a voice because he was deeply loved.

I remember in foster parent training being told about some children that over 18 that wanted to be adopted. We talked about why that might be when there was no legal responsibility to care for their basic needs at that point. The conclusion we drew was that everyone needs to belong. They need to have a person or group of people that they belong to.

God says clearly through His word that we belong to Him. Ever had someone who loved you say about you when you are at your worst, “This one belongs to me” ? To belong is powerful, especially to know at our worst we are still seen, heard, understood and loved.

Psalm 5:7a

“But I enter Your house by the abundance of Your faithful love;

David knew consistent faithful and unconditional love by God. We do not hear we are loved once, get it and then go off to live the truth of it in our lives. Rather it is something that we need to receive day after day as nourishment. Over and over we need to be reminded that we are loved and received by God. His love is consistently faithful.

David prays in Psalm 33:22, “Let your unfailing love surround us.”  

One thing I have noticed about children who grow up with a basic trust to be courageous and try new things is that they frequently have had really good parents who consistently demonstrated unconditional love for them. When things do not work out as planned, they are quick to pick themselves up because they believe the best about themselves and others.

Basic trust to be courageous comes from an expectation that we will be faithfully met with goodness, even in our failures and mistakes. And God desires to give us this foundation of trust in Him.

Psalm 27:13-14

“I am certain that I will see the Lord's goodness in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and courageous. Wait for the Lord.”

David lived with certainty about seeing God's goodness. David knew God's unfailing love and it built a platform of trust in His life so that he could expect and anticipate goodness rather than evil/disaster. In anticipating that God's goodness would meet him, he was free to be courageous and take risks, and even fail. One is free to learn, grow, and come alive in this kind of environment.

One of the greatest hindrances to risk taking is blame and lack of trust. When people feel they will be reprimanded for their mistakes, that they will be counted against them, or be punished in some way, it creates an environment of fear. People will not take risks because they are worried about covering themselves. And when they make mistakes they hide them rather than learn from them. The greatest hindrance to growth and development is an environment of fear, blame and distrust.

Psalm 25:12-13

“Who is the man who 'fears the Lord?' He will show him the way he should choose. He will live a good life, and his descendants will inherit the land.”

David knew God would lead him the way of fullness of life. David trusted the way that God was leading him was best, no matter how it looked. He knew God's purpose was that he would inherit the land and so would his children and children's children.

This 'promised land' that God was leading him to inherit was not a place of riches, position, calling, or success. Rather, it was a dwelling place in God where there is joy (Ps. 27:4). It is the path to life that comes by trusting in Him and delighting in Him. It can come right in the middle of difficulties and enemies on every side where we take refuge in Him. His faithful love surrounds us and brings us there and sustains us there.

Ultimately, this 'promised land' is also a place of life giving. Psalm 37:29-30 says, “The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it permanently. The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom; his tongue speaks of what is just.”

Psalm 8:1

“Yahweh, our Lord, how magnificent is Your name throughout the earth! You have covered the heavens with Your majesty.”

David knew God's sovereignty in ruling the earth. David knew God was huge and ruled the earth in sovereignty. He trusted himself to God rather than man. He knew man was more like grass who would perish but the Lord's words endured. Because of this, he feared and followed God over man.

And when things happened in David's life, he did not chalk them up to chance. He embraced his circumstances and turned to God in them. He saw his circumstances in light of God rather than outside of God. He knew God could do anything and was more than capable in meeting him in his places of need and difficulty. He saw God in everything.

“When I look into the mountains I see Your face... the wind and the moon and the sun and the rain, that's what draws me to You... I am captivated by You” sings.

Psalm 9:8-9

“He judges the world with righteousness; He executes judgment on the nations with fairness. The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.”

David saw God was working out a bigger story. While David knew he was deeply loved and important to God, he also knew that God had a bigger story than just him. David realized God had plans and purposes outside of him that he had the opportunity to partner in with God.

David let his heart be filled with the heart purposes of God that were outside himself. He realized God cared about justice for the oppressed and for the lost who needed salvation. He also realized that God was working in the nations overall and didn't just care about Israel alone.

I could go on and on for many more pages about David's God so I'll challenge you if you are reading this to scan the David's Psalms in 1 – 72 and find one to three verses of ways David saw God that your heart needs to get hold of in deeper ways. Write them down and meditate on them this week. Ask God to help you open your heart to them and let you see Him through David's eyes in those areas.

Lord, help us to see You like David saw You. Open our hearts and our eyes to see You (and know You) for who You are - not just hear of You. So with Job, we can truly say, “I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee” (Job 42:5).

1. Steindl-Rast, Brother David.  Gratefulness, the Heart of Prayer: An Approach to Life in Fullness. Paulist Press, Mahwah, New Jersey.  1984