DAVID’S EXPERIENCE WITH GOD

We trust today’s message encouraged and guided you in your journey of following Jesus. These notes are meant to help you remember and reflect on the message, help you go deeper into study on the subject, or be used for a sermon group discussion. 

Sermon Title: David’s Experience with God

Main Scripture: Psalm 63:1-6, Psalm 13:1-6, Jeremiah 17:9-10, Psalm 32:1-5

(Other passages Jeremiah 29:13, Matthew 7:7, Psalm 60:11, Psalm 38:9, Hebrews 4:15-16, Psalm 51:16-17, Psalm 46:10, Romans 5:8, 1 John 1:9, Proverbs 14:12, 

If you’re going through this discussion with a community group this week consider taking the time to read the provided scripture to catch everyone up! 

Summary:

The Bible says that David was a man after God’s own heart 1 Samuel 13:14. We can learn valuable lessons on how to honor God through David’s life experiences, and we can also learn what not to do or dishonor God through David’s life experiences. However, David diligently sought God’s presence; he remained transparent before God, and David would repent of sins when God revealed inappropriate behavior. Through David’s life experiences, we learn how to build a closer relationship with God.

Notes:

We can see an example of David’s pursuit of God in Psalm 63:1-6

David diligently sought God. David says his soul thirsts for God and his whole body longs for God. 

David makes a bold statement. He says that God’s love is better than life itself. David is content with God alone.

There should be a longing for God in our hearts. I love how Pastor Ryan shared that when we spend time with God, we want to spend more time with God. 

Things of this world tug at our affection and commitment to God. David recognized that his life was complete in God alone. 

David was just like you and me. He was a human being who needed God’s grace and mercy. 

However, David diligently sought to be in God’s presence; David was transparent before God, and David would humbly repent when his sinful behavior was revealed.  

In Psalm 63, David is thought to be on the run from King Saul, who was pursuing David because David was the anointed heir to the throne. 

Psalm 63:8, “I cling to you; your strong right hand holds me securely.

We get an image of David grabbing hold of God! And God holding him in his arms. 

God is surely Immanuel; he is with us. But it does require something on our part. 

Jeremiah 29:13 “If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.”

Matthew 7:7, “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.”

If we want to experience the presence of God, we need to actively pursue him. 

David says in Psalm 63:3, “your unfailing love is better than life itself, how I praise you!”

David diligently sought God’s presence and so should we. 

While David sought God’s presence, he was transparent before God. David didn’t hold anything back. 

Read Psalm 13:1-6

We find David pouring his heart and soul out to God and being transparent. David knew he could talk to God about everything in his life. David put his trust in God alone.

Psalm 60:11, “Oh, please help us against our enemies, for all human help is useless.”

God knows we don’t have it all together, yet he loves us. He knows at times we tend to wander like sheep, yet he calls us to himself. 

We can be transparent with God about the things that tug at our affections.  

Psalm 38:9, “You know what I long for, Lord; you hear my every sigh.”

God knows the things that are in our heart, and only he can change the heart. Only God can change unhealthy longings and desires, but we have to be transparent with him. 

Jeremiah 17:9-10, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.”

We can be transparent with God and still have reverence for God. In Psalm 13 David talks to God about what’s going on in his life, asking, “1O LORD, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way?”

We see a pattern in David’s Psalms. After he pours out his heart, David acknowledges who he is talking to. There is reverence in his prayers. 

After pouring out his heart, David says this to God in verses 5 & 6 in Psalm 13, 

“5But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. 6I will sing to the LORD because he is good to me.

David aligns his situation with the truth of God’s Word. We also must put our life circumstances in the right frame. We must be real and acknowledge what we are going through, but we must stand on the truth of God’s Word.

The last point is that David would humbly repent when his sinful behavior was revealed. 

Read Psalm 32:1-5

We see an example of David being confronted by God for sin in his life. There is conviction. David said God’s hand was upon him day and night. It was draining him. He confesses, and we can see the joy and peace it brings to his life. 

When we spend time with God and are transparent with him, He shows us things about ourselves.

Perhaps the reason we may not be transparent with God is that we are afraid of what He will reveal to us. 

God knows what we go through. Jesus took on the form of a human being. He knows what is feels like to go through trials and tribulations. 

Hebrews 4:15-16

15This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. 16So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

God can relate to what we are going through. But we have to come to him. Whatever God has revealed to us that’s making a barrier between him and us, we need to surrender that to God to draw closer to him. 

Psalm 51 is a prayer that David prays after being confronted with another sin. In this case, adultery. But David found forgiveness from God. His life was heavily impacted because of this sin, but his relationship with God was restored. 

Psalm 51:16-17, “16You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. 17The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.”

Summary and takeaways:

1. Like David, we should diligently seek God. 

Jeremiah 29:13 “If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.”

When we diligently seek God, we will find him. God is not hiding from us. His presence is around us every day. We have to be still long enough to experience his presence. 

Psalms 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.”

God will be honored above our pressing agenda or whatever it is that seems to be so big in our lives. 

2. Like David, we should be transparent before God.

When we go through things in life with someone, our relationship grows stronger with them. People get a chance to see our good side and not so good side, yet they still love us, despite our flaws. 

That’s true of God. He loves us despite our human frailty. 

Romans 5:8, “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”

God sees our flaws, yet he loves us. God is drawing us closer to himself so those areas can be healed. 

Last, like David, we should repent when God reveals sin in our lives. 

If God is exposing things in our lives that cause separation between us and the Lord, it’s to our benefit to repent or to turn from those things. We must trust that God has a better plan for our lives than we do. 

1 John 1:9, “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”

God longs to show us mercy, but we need hearts that are willing to repent. 

Proverbs 14:12, “There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.”

If something is clear in God’s Word, we don’t need to rationalize it; we need to obey it. 

Only God can give us a heart that longs to be in his presence. But that starts with seeking him. While we are in his presence, we must be completely transparent and let him in every area. And we must repent when God shows us sin in our lives. Then we too will be like David, people after God’s own heart. 

Discussion:

• What would you say your heart longs for? What is something you feel you need to make your life complete?

• What things pull at your love and affection for God? What things compete with your commitment to God? 

• Do you feel you can be totally transparent with God? Why or why not?

• What things has God revealed to you that you need to repent or turn away from?
  

Pray Together

Lord, we sincerely want to grow closer to You and experience Your presence daily. Father, help us to have a heart like David's—a heart that seeks Your presence, is transparent before You, is willing to repent, and trusts that You have a better plan for our lives.

Lord, give us a greater desire to be in Your presence. The things of this world pull at us daily, and at times we can lose our focus. Lord, may we long for Your presence more than anything this world has to offer.

Father, we humbly admit that this can only happen with Your help. Thank You for Your willingness to draw us close to You.

We hoped you found this AFTER THE SERMON discussion helpful for your walk with Jesus. We pray you can find ways to apply it this week!