In contrast to the self-reliant, anxious, glory-seeking King Saul, we are called to be like the humble, courageous, God-fearing king who followed. David shepherded his people with an upright heart and guided them with skilful hands. But rather than putting him on a pedestal, we must see him as a type or shadow of Jesus who is the King of Kings; we must hero-worship the Good Shepherd himself.

David was a man after God's own heart who would do all his will; everything he wanted him to do. God said this of him while he was still a teenager. David's heart was "fully devoted to the Lord his God." His epitaph was that he had done "what was right in the eyes of the Lord … all the days of his life, except in the case of Uriah the Hittite" (1Kg 15:3-5).

Worship was his way of life. This is clearly seen in his many Psalms. In whatever situation he found himself, he expressed his faith and confidence in God and worshipped him. He thought of the Temple in terms of God's presence, but we can worship the Lord wherever we are. "The Lord is my light and my salvation, so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? The one thing I ask of the Lord – the thing I seek most – is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his Temple" (Ps 27:1-4).

David was a man of prayer. The vast majority of his Psalms are prayers. We can learn so much about his prayer life from them. "In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation" (Ps 5:3). He talked to God about all that was happening in his life and expressed just how he was feeling about it. God wants us to be honest and real with him about what is going on in our minds. Talking to him in detail about our depression and the injustice being meted out to us, not only brings relief as God encourages us, but enables us to extend grace and forgiveness to the perpetrators.

David's faith in God was strong. Nowhere is this more obvious than in his defeat of Goliath. Strong faith leads to courageous words and actions. "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?" His brothers ridiculed him for his youthfulness and perceived arrogance, but he didn't listen. He said to King Saul: "Let no-one lose heart on account of this Philistine. Your servant will go and fight him. The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." And that is precisely what happened.

David sought God's honour; not his own. On no occasion did he promote himself as a leader. He had a number of opportunities to kill Saul, but refused to do so. He feared God and respected God's appointed leader even though Saul was in rebellion and acting irrationally. He said to him: "May the Lord be our judge and decide between us. May he consider my cause and uphold it; may he vindicate me by delivering me from your hand" (1Sm 24:15).