“Hallelujah! Praise God in His sanctuary Praise Him in His mighty heavens. Praise Him for His mighty acts praise Him for His excellent greatness. Praise Him with the sound of the horn praise Him with the harp and lyre. Praise Him with tambourine and dancing praise Him with strings and flute. Praise Him with clashing cymbals; praise Him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Hallelujah!” Psalm 150:1-6 NIV
THE SHEPHERD AND THE PSALMIST
At the beginning, the life of David was quite simple. Only one task was required of him… tend to the sheep of his father, Jesse. Not much glory and not something spectacular, but he did it well. He watched over the sheep and worshipped the Lord Almighty with his harp, for David chose to be close to the Lord in the fields and the pastures where the sheep grazed. In the midst of his praise, the kingly anointing is given!
THE CALLING
The music of David has great anointing. The word spreads and He is called upon to play for the King when he is in torment from evil spirits (1st Samuel 16:14-18). The music and words of the psalmist have a profound effect. David is granted favor to stay close to the king during these times.
THE GIANT KILLER
Greater measure is given. Greater fame comes. The psalmist anointing makes way for the heart of the warrior to arise! He knows his God! He knows He is a covenant God! The giant defiles but David prophecies!
“This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand. This day I will strike you down, cut off your head, and give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the creatures of the earth. Then the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. And all those assembled here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give all of you into our hands.” 1st Samuel 17:46-47 NIV
GREATER ANOINTING AND GREATER TESTING!
The fame and the glory of David grew throughout all the land! In the midst of his greatest crescendo, the testing was about to begin! David, “the giant slayer”, now becomes David, “the hunted” (1st Samuel 18:8-19:1). The anointing and favor he once walked in now feels absent, yet, he praises the Lord anyway!
“My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from saving me, so far from my words of groaning? I cry out by day, O my God but You do not answer and by night, but I have no rest. Yet You are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. In You our fathers trusted; they trusted and You delivered them. They cried out to You and were set free; they trusted in You and were not disappointed.” Psalm 22:1-5 NIV
GREATER TESTING WILL YIELD GREATER GLORY
The kingly anointing was given but the mantle of a king requires great wisdom and discernment to handle rightly! Strong testing will produce great results if the person in the testing can stand to the end without fainting! The fire will refine the gold and the fire will burn away the chaff! That which is costly will become even more costly, and that which is of little significance will burn up and fall away.
In the midst of great trials and testing, David was still able to offer his greatest praise to the Lord. It is well fitting that the last verse of the last chapter of the Psalms of David would speak of high praise to our Heavenly Father!
“Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!” Psalm 150:6 ESV
I hear the Lord saying, “Truly, I am cultivating you and I am drawing you into the Davidic Anointing in this hour! Your praise will strengthen the heart of the warrior in you to stand for what is right and the kingly anointing will allow you to govern well what I will grant you authority over! Give Me your highest praise in the midst of the storm! Praise Me for the answer that is needed to come, for I am worthy of your highest praise! Open your mouth and praise Me! Watch Me shift the atmosphere for I am working and I am mighty in your midst. Truly, I am above your present circumstances, big and small! Your circumstances can change at any given moment but I am your steady rock. Though you feel the shaking, you will find your unshakable and unchangeable anchor in Me! Nothing has taken Me by surprise and you are NOT going under! I’ve got you! I was with Joseph in the pit and in the prison, yet I delivered him out of it! I took what the enemy meant for his destruction and I turned it all around! I used it for his good and the saving of many lives! Will I not do the same for you, My precious child? Surely, I will! Praise Me and look to Me! Continue to call upon Me for I am near!”, says the Lord your deliverer.
“I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1-2 ESV