He sits alone in the open pastures. There's a pouch of nuts and berries at his side. On his other side is a sling that he occasionally picks up and practices with in the event that he may need it to protect his flocks. They depend on him! Also nearby is a simple, home-made stringed instrument that he uses to pass the time.
Time he has! Hours grow into days. A small nighttime fire warms him and he sees the glow of it in the sheep's eyes as they look to make certain that he is there always to protect them from the menaces of the night.
It's a lonely job, but he has overcome the fear of loneliness and has come to appreciate the benefits of solitude and silence.
Actually, the silence carries it's own messages of comfort and alarm.
Comfort is found in the morning songs of the birds and the rippling of the stream. The rustling of leaves in the wind is music to his ears. Even the distant sounds of thunder and the flashes of lightning afar reveal the awesomeness of nature and the manifold creativity of his God!
Predators - regardless of their stealth - alert him and cause him to reach for the sling and the handful of stones in his leather sack! He knows the sheep are vulnerable and he is fearless in protecting them:
I work as a shepherd for my father. Whenever a lion or a bear has come and attacked one of my lambs, I have gone after it and struck it down to rescue the lamb from the predator’s mouth; if it turned to attack me, I would take it by the chin, beat it, and kill it. I have killed both a lion and a bear; [I Samuel 17:34-36]
[All references from The Voice Bible unless otherwise noted.]
His is the meditative life and he has learned to maximize its benefits! In his leather pouch is a booklet where he inscribes his thoughts and songs. However, he doesn't need it - they are embedded in his mind by repetition!
He enjoys the infrequent arrival of a brother carrying meager supplies and news of home. But his world is one that primarily involves a companionship with only One!
He will add other booklets as the years pass. His inscriptions will include prayers, songs, poems and laments. He will express anger, desperation, confessions, and reminders that will keep him strong and focused later in life when massive responsibilities come his way.
Like Moses' forty years on Mount Horeb watching his father-in-law's sheep, David is being prepared by God. Even when he makes horrendous mistakes and slips into sinful behaviors, he will pull out one of these booklets - or draw it up from his memory - and be restored to the graces of God!
He is laying a foundation even though he is unaware that his mental meanderings will carry him through great perils that will challenge him physically, spiritually and emotionally! His divine Shepherd is working in him dauntlessly to form him into the leader He needs David to be:
I have found David, son of Jesse, to be a man after My own heart. He's the kind of king who will rule in ways that please Me. [Acts 13:22]
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Has God found this in you?
Do you devote yourself to discovering His heart and His ways?
Have you cultivated an intimacy with God that allows Him to form you?
Can this kind of intimacy with God be experienced without solitude and silence?
Are His fingerprints all over your life?
Create a quiet place sometime today where you can focus on Him, listen to Him and allow Him to form YOU into the man or woman that He wants/needs you to be!
