Issue #134, July 23, 2014
After David was anointed for leadership, his first recorded act was serving King Saul by playing the harp, a very unusual way of beginning a leadership career! (See 1 Samuel 16:14-23). Saul, like many leaders today, had a position of authority but led without God’s presence. He sought out David for his musical skill in hopes that his problems would be relieved. Although he surely had no idea that the young man with the harp would become the next king, he recognized God’s presence when David worshiped.
This account is much more than a demonstration of David’s skill in playing a musical instrument. It is the first indication of David’s heart for worship and his passion to be in God’s presence. His life story is filled with other examples of his heart for worship. I find over a dozen recorded times in his leadership that David deliberately invited God to guide him, asking for wisdom and direction for specific leadership decisions he needed to make. One of his first acts as a king was to bring the ark of God to Jerusalem, a defining moment in his leadership when he worshiped with abandon. David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the LORD with all his might, while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets (2 Samuel 6:14-15). David’s heart of worship profoundly shaped his leadership and teaches all us why servant leadership flows out of worship.
Worship keeps our focus on God, not self.
Worship turns our eyes towards God and away from ourselves and our circumstances. Every leader daily faces the temptation to rely on self instead of God. We quickly develop confidence in our own ability to solve problems, make decisions and make things happen. Servant leaders, like David, resist this temptation as they worship. As David worshipped, he forgot about what others thought about him. He was not concerned with the titles or the privileges of his position. Immediately after this public event he went home to bless his family, showing that his priorities were realigned. Worship keeps our hearts tender towards God and allows God to deal with our pride, reveal our sin and to bring the joy of forgiveness. In worship we recognize that our leadership is not about ourselves but about God’s purposes for our lives. Worship is God’s gift which allows us to recalibrate our hearts and refocus on His plans instead of our own. Servant leaders find joy in regular rhythms of worship. They welcome God’s invitation to a weekly day of rest and worship and find other times as well to meet God in worship.
Worship provides space for God to guide.
David’s many acts of worship were invitations for God to come into his leadership space and provide direction to him. He often ‘inquired of the Lord’ before making a significant decision. Leaders are people of action and by default will rely on their own sense of direction to move forward. Servant leaders learn from David to stop, worship, and hear from God before moving. Worship invites God into our leadership space and as we listen for His direction He gives us the guidance we so desperately need. His direction will sometimes make sense to us but at times will be counterintuitive to our natural inclinations. Servant leaders seek this guidance.
David’s example as a worshipper invites us to be leaders after God’s own heart, allowing worship to shape who we are and how we lead. Servant leadership flows out of worship.
For further reflection and discussion:
- What times and ways have been most helpful for you to connect with God in worship? Do you plan regular times for this to happen?
- What daily actions can you take to open yourself more fully to God in worship?
- Reflect on God’s design for a weekly day of rest, the Sabbath. How have you experienced this in your own life and leadership? What can you do to strengthen the impact of this day on your leadership?
- What situations are you facing in your leadership now which need God’s direction? How is He inviting you to hear from Him in worship?
- Read 2 Samuel 6 and reflect on what you observe from David’s example.