Day 2
The Poet King:
For today’s prompt, begin by quieting your heart and slowly reading Psalm 18:31-36.
This whole psalm is a beautiful progression. Each line is seeded with God’s help continuously infiltrating David’s story as he moves from despair to victory. In this particular section, notice the emphasis: “HE equips me with strength… HE makes my way blameless…HE trains my hands for war… HE. As David continues proclaiming who God is for him, we’re let in on a surprising secret. What has made this warrior of a king so great? The gentleness of God.
“You have given me the shield of Your salvation and Your right hand has supported me. Your gentleness has made me great”
To me, this is profound. A man. A leader. A king. A warrior. Made great by the…. gentleness of God? I wonder if these words were the theme of his whole life, as he grew from shepherd boy to king.
Yes— a man. A leader. A king. A warrior. But also… a poet. A singer. A musician. A worshipper. A lover of God.
Not only did these facets of his identity not contradict each other, they actually informed each other. His heart had been touched by the tenderness of Yahweh, which caused him to overflow in worship. From this place, David had received strength to go to battle and to lead a nation. He hadn’t been too proud to let his guard down and admit to God that he was afraid or weak. For him, true strength was found in being honest with his Father, and letting His gentle covering infuse him with courage. David’s power came from depending fully on God and letting Him defeat his enemies.
In the New Testament, we see Paul expressing a similar sentiment in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10:
“But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me… For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Though David was admired in his day for the many he had slain, what he is most remembered for today is the many songs he wrote. His beautiful journal entries have informed the prayers of hundreds upon thousands of worshippers since he penned them, giving us permission to talk to our Father in the same way. The psalms express vulnerability, honesty, questions, weakness, and supreme confidence in the character of God. In each one, wrestling mingles with praise and we can see it happening before our eyes— the gentleness of God making David great.
If this was true for him, what does it mean for us? What permission does his life offer us to also show God our vulnerabilities and allow His gentle compassion to cover us and infuse us with true strength?
Questions to Consider:
Is there another psalm you can think of where David’s words again reflect that he intimately knew the gentleness of God?
How does today’s prompt fit into your musings about gentleness from yesterday?
Can you think of a time when you’ve experienced God as being gentle toward you? Reflect and remember, journaling any thoughts.
Are there any raw emotions and honest prayers you need to express to God about what you’re going through right now? Pour out your heart to Him in a way that comes naturally for you. Afterward, linger for some time, asking Him to touch these places with His gentleness.
Creative Response:
Take what was touching your heart the most from the thoughts and questions above and try to turn it into a song or poem, just like David did. Just like the psalms, this can be an overflow of praise, an honest cry of need, or both.
If writing a song or poem is new for you, it may help to just write down your stream of consciousness, then comb back through it and pick out some words that you can craft into a more beautiful form.
Ask the Holy Spirit to help you with this and follow His GENTLE leading. He may lead you a bit out of your comfort zone into something you haven’t tried before or He may lead you a different way that is best for what your heart needs right now. Whatever you do end up writing, it is beautiful to Him. He finds rest in an honest and contrite heart (Isaiah 66:2).