Last week in Branson, MO — Carl and I sat in the Sight & Sound Theatre\u2026 and I\u2019m telling you, Donna-to-reader, my jaw was somewhere on the floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And those voices? Oh my. Powerful, booming, heart-stirring voices that made you feel like heaven leaned down to listen. It was David\u2019s story told on a level my imagination didn\u2019t even know existed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But as stunning as the production was, it all pointed back to something even greater \u2014 the true, wild, breathtaking life of David himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
David\u2019s exploits didn\u2019t start with a throne. They started with a sling. A song. A shepherd boy watching over sheep under Bethlehem\u2019s sky. Then came that enormous Goliath \u2014 the giant no one else dared face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And before long came battles, victories, breathtaking successes, and yes\u2026 heartbreaking failures. David lived big. He loved big. He repented big. And Scripture calls him what every one of us longs to be: \u201ca man (or woman) after God\u2019s own heart.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Through triumphs and stumbles, David knew where to run. \u201cAnd David encouraged himself in the Lord.\u201d (1 Samuel 30:6)
I\u2019ve whispered that verse to my own heart more than once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then there\u2019s Psalm 22 \u2014 David\u2019s 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\u2019s God whispering through the centuries: \u201cSee? My Word is true. My promises stand. My faithfulness continues to all generations\u2026 including yours.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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, \u201cGod can use anyone whose heart beats for Him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I want that heart too \u2014 that shepherd\u2019s heart that prays:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe 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\u2026
Even when I walk through the darkest valley,
I will not be afraid, for You are close beside me.\u201d (Psalm 23:1\u20134)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u2019s own heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n