DEVOTION – DAY 218

2 Samuel 6:16 “Worshipping The Lord From Our Hearts”

2 Sam.6:16 “As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal, daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart.”

The Bible tells us that King David was a man after God’s own heart. He is the only person in the whole Bible who was described in this this way. We know that David was not a perfect man. He was an adulterer and murderer. Yet, he was a man whose heart was always seeking God. He was ready to repent when he knew he had sinned against God. He had a contrite heart. He prayed frequently to God and sought God’s will for him. He worshipped God openly. The above verse shows one of the many examples where King David was not embarrassed to openly worship God. The occasion was the ark of the covenant being brought into the city of Jerusalem. The ark represented the presence of God amongst His people. King David was honored and overjoyed to welcome God into the presence of his city. He could not contain his joy and excitement. 2 Sam.6:13-15 recorded how King David danced before the Lord with all his might and he did so in full view of his subjects. His dancing and leaping was observed by his wife, Michal, from a palace window. Unlike her husband who danced with abandon in joy before the Lord, Michal was ashamed that her husband had behaved in what she considered to be an undignified manner, that was unsuitable for a King of Israel. Michal despised King David as a result.

What can we learn from King David’s example? David was only concerned that God was pleased with his heartfelt worship. David was not concerned about what other people may think of him. He was only concerned about what God thought of him. In the same way, each one of us have different personalities. Some of us are more reserved. Some of us are more outgoing by nature. That means that when we worship God, those who are more reserved can worship God quietly in their hearts as long as their hearts and minds are focused on the worship of God. God knows what is in people’s hearts and He accepts that kind of worship. Those who are more extroverted may worship God more openly, raising their hands, singing at the top of their voices. Again, the focus of all their outward display is on worshipping God, and not to draw attention to themselves. God also accepts that kind of worship. The kind of worship that God is not pleased with, is worship where God is not the focus, where people mouth songs of praise whilst their minds are on other matters. Or where worship is simply a case of observing a religious ritual.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, may our worship be always centered upon you and nothing else. Help us to worship you deeply always from our hearts. In the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.

Questions

  1. What kind of challenges to do you face when you come together to worship God? Share.
  2. Is God the focus of your worship always, or do you worship God self-consciously?
  3. Why is it important for you to worship the Lord with all your heart?
  4. How can you learn from King David’s example so that your worship of the Lord can deepen?