A Shepherd, A King, and the God Who Writes Our Stories

A Shepherd, A King, and the God Who Writes Our Stories
Last week in Branson, MO — Carl and I sat in the Sight & Sound Theatre… and I’m telling you, Donna-to-reader, my jaw was somewhere on the floor.

Mountains rising on stage. Real waterfalls cascading. Live birds, sheep, camels, horses — trotting past us. Costumes so magnificent that it took us back to that era.

And those voices? Oh my. Powerful, booming, heart-stirring voices that made you feel like heaven leaned down to listen. It was David’s story told on a level my imagination didn’t even know existed.

But as stunning as the production was, it all pointed back to something even greater — the true, wild, breathtaking life of David himself.

David’s exploits didn’t start with a throne. They started with a sling. A song. A shepherd boy watching over sheep under Bethlehem’s sky. Then came that enormous Goliath — the giant no one else dared face.

And before long came battles, victories, breathtaking successes, and yes… heartbreaking failures. David lived big. He loved big. He repented big. And Scripture calls him what every one of us longs to be: “a man (or woman) after God’s own heart.”

Through triumphs and stumbles, David knew where to run. “And David encouraged himself in the Lord.” (1 Samuel 30:6)
I’ve whispered that verse to my own heart more than once.

And then there’s Psalm 22 — David’s prophetic masterpiece. Written nearly 1,000 years before Jesus was born, yet describing the crucifixion with astonishing detail. Flip to John 19 and the correlation is undeniable. It’s God whispering through the centuries: “See? My Word is true. My promises stand. My faithfulness continues to all generations… including yours.”

Sight & Sound gave us the spectacle. But Scripture gives us the soul. A shepherd. A warrior. A poet. A king. A sinner. A worshiper. A man whose life shouts, “God can use anyone whose heart beats for Him.”

And I want that heart too — that shepherd’s heart that prays:

“The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.
He lets me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside peaceful streams.
He renews my strength…
Even when I walk through the darkest valley,
I will not be afraid, for You are close beside me.” (Psalm 23:1–4)

Were it not for God, where would any of us be?
And oh, the plans He has for us too.
May we, like David, be people after God’s own heart.

Enjoy the clip of this magnificent production!
https://youtu.be/fb8wKrOlgNs