David Loved The Lord And I Love The Lord Because He Answered Prayers
A Lifetime Of Answered Prayers
Reading Beth Moore’s memoir, All My Knotted Up Life, reminded me of my own life of spiritual markers. Moments when God showed up, answered prayers, and set me on His path. Since coming into a personal relationship with God twenty-eight years ago, I have journaled and documented so much of my prayers and His answers. I find it so beneficial to look back and see answered prayers sprinkled along the path of my life.
I keep one document in my computer titled, Spiritual Markers. This document contains major steps, shifts, and opportunities in ministry as a result of answered prayers. Then there are the precious, priceless little things. The answered prayers that simply say, “I love you. You have My attention. I hear you.”
The Priceless Little Things
One of the sweetest answered prayers happened one Sunday evening sitting in church waiting for the youth choir program to begin. My very small, sophomore in high school, eldest daughter was in the choir. The problem was my daughter was on the second row, and even with the stadium seating of the choir loft, the young man standing below stood taller and broader. Seeing my daughter was not going to happen. Unless.
I said a quick prayer. “Lord, I know this isn’t a big deal in the whole scheme of things, but I would really like to see Taylor sing tonight. Would you please move her to the front row so I can see her?” I turned around and visited with the couple in the seats behind me. A few minutes later the music began. I finished my conversation and turned around to see my daughter sitting on the front row in plain view. I smiled from ear to ear and said, “Lord, Thank You. You are so sweet.”
This may sound small and silly to someone else, but I felt deeply loved. I knew God had answered my prayers. I guess it’s that thing of, if your prayer request is that small and God answers it, He really must love me, because He heard my prayers. There is something so powerful about realizing that God hears and answers our prayers. I loved God before, but now I loved Him more.
David’s Love for God
Surely answered prayers impacted King David’s love for God as well. We see it in Psalm 116:1-2.
I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy.
Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.
Psalm 116:1-2
If we look to Psalm 18, we also see the entirety of the Psalm seems to be David’s own listing of spiritual markers of answered prayers. However, he began with a vow of love.
I will love You, O Lord, my strength.
Psalm 18:1
Then in verses 3 and 6 he wrote:
I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;
so shall I be saved from my enemies.
Psalm 18:3
In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my God; He heard
my voice from His temple, and my cry came before Him, even to His ears.
Psalm 18:6
We can’t miss the connection between David’s love and God hearing his prayers. I made a list from Psalm 18 where David identifies God’s personal presence, position, and activity in his life:
The Lord:
Is My Rock
My Fortress
My Deliver
My God
My Strength
My Shield
The Horn Of My Salvation
My Stronghold
Worthy To Be Praised
He Heard My Voice
He Bowed The Heavens And Came Down
He Thundered From Heaven
He Uttered His Voice
He Sent Out Arrows
He Scattered The Foe And Vanquished Them
He Sent From Above
He Took Me
He Drew Me Out Of Many Waters
He Delivered Me From My Strong Enemy
He Was My Support
He Brought Me Out Into A Broad Place
He Delivered Me Because He Delighted In Me
He Rewarded Me
He Recompensed Me
He Will Light My Lamp
He Will Enlighten My Darkness
Truly those are spiritual markers of answered prayers. David loved God because He had experienced God. Sometimes I hear pastors say we should love God even if He never did anything else for us other than die on the cross for us. Not that I disagree with that, but it simply takes away the daily personal-ness of God. He works in our lives. He presents Himself to us as we walk with Him and talk to Him.
God demonstrates His love, not only through the cross, but through relationship. He sees the major events and hears the simplest prayers. He even knows the tiniest desires of His children’s heart. And God, in His goodness, He responds.
When I think about David’s love for God and my own love, I cannot disconnect the impact of God’s word from that love. David loved God’s word and I love God’s word. David cram-packed Psalm 119 with how we loved and treasured God’s word. Surely, that is how a deep life-long love for God begins. I testify fully to the truth of that statement for my own life.
David Loved God’s Word
There is so much I love about David. God identified him as a man after His own heart. I love how his writing paints a picture of real life. His Old Testament story speaks of a life with joy and pain. Failures and successes. Sometimes David made good choices and sometimes bad ones. He loved and He hated. Personally, I can identify with that kind of life. I also identify with his love for God’s word.
And I will delight myself in Your commandments which I love. My hands also I will lift up to Your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on Your statutes.
Psalm 119:47-48
Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day long.
Psalm 119:97
Therefore I love Your commandments more than gold, yes, than fine gold!
Psalm 119:127
My soul keeps Your testimonies, And I love them exceedingly.
Psalm 119:167
YES, David loved God’s word. I believe he learned to treasure and lean on God’s word in the everyday life situations. He experienced the storms of life, but David also continually trusted the Lord, and leaned on the truth of His word. At the end of David’s life, he made a powerful proclamation.
“As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life from EVERY distress…”
1 Kings 1:29
None of us know how long God has for us to live on this earth, but to date, I have seen God’s redemption working in my life from before I loved Him. God is love. He is just, good, and faithful. And so much more.
Can We Have A Final Proclamation Like David?
I think the fact that David loved God’s word was also the reason that he could recognize and understand that even though life had not been all perfect and rosy, he knew God brought him through. He knew the Lord redeemed every distress because he loved and believed God’s Word.
What if we love God and treasure His word like David? What if we have child-like faith and believe God’s word through and through?
I want to encourage you today to make reading and knowing God’s word a top priority in your life. Not for knowing sake, but love and relationship sake. Elevate His word as the most valuable treasure in your life and I believe when you come to the end of your life, you will look back across the landscape of your life across the mountains and valleys and see the goodness and mercy of the Lord followed you all the days of your life and redeemed your life from every distress.
