In Psalms, chapter thirty-two, verse eight, the Lord promises to instruct and guide a forgiven believer who has a teachable spirit, treasures God’s presence and counsel, as in verse seven, trusts in Him, as in verse ten, rejoices in Him and continues upright in heart as in verse eleven.
The theme under A Prayer During Distress describes that God will instruct His people. David is the perfect example because “the LORD hath sought Him a man after His own heart,” as in First Samuel thirteen, verse fourteen. How could the youngest son of Jesse be that person after God?
David, a man after God’s heart, begins with his faith in defeating Goliath, the giant Philistine. The second is David’s trust. Even though Saul threatened his life, David respected him as king and occasionally spared his life. The third is David’s love. Despite Saul’s attempt to continue as his enemy, David loved the former king.
Another reason for David is his humility. After experiencing remarkable success in battle, David remained humble, as in examples in First Samuel eighteen, verse twenty-three, and Second Samuel seven, verse eighteen. The fifth is David’s integrity. David admitted when he was wrong and took responsibility for his mistakes. When Saul is pursuing him, David lies to Ahimelech, the priest, to get food for his men and the sword of Goliath. David forgives when he gets Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, where he admits he sinned against God in Second Samuel twelve, verse twenty-two.
David worships God as the final one, and even though his poor choice with Bathsheba led to much heartache for many years, David never stopped worshiping God.
In First John three, verse eighteen, “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.” The phrase actions speak louder than words was David, which makes it clear the Lord would declare him as a man after His own heart.
David was teachable because he depended on God. To instruct a person, they must have a teachable spirit that will obey and not shun or turn away and do their own thing. That was the difference with David. He kept God close and not away, except for the Bathsheba incident.