A Faith like King David's

"What gain is there in my destruction, in my going down into the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness? (NIV)Psalm 30:9

"What good will it do you if I am in the grave? Once I have turned to dust, how can I praise you or tell how loyal you are? (CEV)I have always heard David being referred to as being a man "after God's own heart." God even affirmed it. I sometimes wonder why David is such a man and how I can be, as a believer in Christ, be like such a woman?

How can one be a man after God's heart? What does God's heart beat for? Recently, after a series of studies in church about the Cat & Dog Theology, I learned primarily that Jesus came for the purpose of glorifying the Father. The salvation that it gave us sinners was only secondary.

So what then is God's heart after? With the above statements, we can surmise that God's desire is His glory. Man's purpose is not to be saved only, but that we will be saved so that in our salvation God is glorified.

David is a man after God's heart because he knew who God was and his position in God's kingdom. David worshipped the Lord and praised Him in whatever circumstances. Even when he sinned, he sought the Lord. In David's reign, he had a whole group of men assigned to worship the Lord 24 hours a day. They probably worshipped in shifts, but the point is, David simulated heaven. In Revelations, we get a glimpse of what heaven is like-it is where angels and the saints bow down in worship all the time. Sometimes during sermons, I hear our pastor say that if we don't know how to worship God here on earth, we wouldn't know what to do when we get to heaven.

But David knew God's heart. He was one man who desired what God wanted-for God's name to be glorified. All throughout the bible, the book of Psalms is known as the one most prolific for praises. It chronicles David's praises to the One he loves. And what touched me most is that even in his death, David was more worried the most about who will praise the Lord when he is gone.