I was sitting in my office last week thinking about a wide array of things I’m sure. A little book sitting on my bookshelf was practically staring me in the face. I remember the day I purchased the book. I was working at a pastor’s conference in California and I decided to make a trip to the bookstore where all the Christian publishers had set up their tables and stacked them full of books. I wandered over to one of my favorite publishers, The Banner of Truth and began rummaging about. I had developed a bit of a relationship with the representative who was manning the table so I asked him, “if you could choose one book on this table, which would it be?” I vividly remember him looking at me as if I was asking him to tell me which one of his children he loved most. With a look of painful contemplation he picked up a copy of David: Man of Prayer, Man of War by Walter Chantry.
Three years later, here I sat staring at this little book. I picked it up and began to read. I finished the first chapter (8 pages) and was practically salivating for more. I can’t remember reading a book that gripped me so quickly and left me with such wonderful hunger pangs. Chantry has a way of unfolding the story and life of David that engages your heart. He seamlessly transitions from the life of David into the 21st century drawing insightful and powerful applications.
The story begins with the demise of Saul. In 1 Samuel 13, the nation of Israel was in a panic as the Philistines invaded once again. The prophet Samuel had given Saul explicit instructions to be obeyed. Instead of waiting for Samuel to arrive to offer the sacrifice, Saul disobeyed the Word of God. Samuel arrived and delivered these stunning words to the King, “The Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you (1 Sam. 13:13-14)”
Here, the heart of God is exposed. While one man is written off for his disobedience, God tells us exactly what he is looking for in a faithful servant. It isn’t someone with incredible talents and abilities. They don’t have to have stunning good looks or magnificent athletic prowess. They aren’t always the prosperous, popular or prestigious of the world. No, God seeks those who are after his own heart. The evidence of this is seen in the unfolding of the story as God leads Samuel to a tiny village where an insignificant family would present the least of all the children and God would say, “that one… he’s the one who seeks after my heart.” A shepherd boy would be plucked from a life of insignificance and placed in a position of prominence simply because he sought the heart of God.
As the chapter closes, Chantry ends with this powerful paragraph and here too is where I will close:
“Are there not young men who even now have the Almighty’s eye upon them? They cannot yet wear the armour of the warrior, nor find their way through the labyrinth of king’s courts or church boards. The Lord looks not for experience; that is easily given. He wishes to detect, deep within the character of youth, submission to all the will of God.”
Here is the key to effectiveness and usefulness in the Christian life - complete and total submission to the will of God. This is why God took a shepherd boy and made him into a king. This is what God is looking for in all his children and is made possible by the gospel of Jesus Christ.