A musical shepherd

While David was out in the fields watching his father’s sheep, he had plenty of time to pray and write beautiful songs of praise to the Lord.

Meanwhile, King Saul, who was living in a fancy palace, was not happy. He was moody and miserable most of the time. After Saul disobeyed God, the Spirit of the Lord left him. To make matters worse, the prophet Samuel had told him that God would take away his kingdom and give it to someone else—someone who loved God.

One of Saul’s servants told him that he would feel better if they found someone to play gentle music for him. Another servant happened to know about David and told Saul about his talent for playing the harp. So Saul ordered them to bring David.

David began playing beautiful music for Saul, and Saul liked him. Whenever Saul became grumpy, David’s music would calm his spirit, and he would feel much better.

What kind of music should I listen to?

The Lord has given people the gift of creating beautiful music. How pleased He must be when we make music to honor Him—either by singing or by playing a musical instrument (Psalm 150:3-6).

The Lord does not mind what your favorite song is or what kind of music you like. The more good music you listen to, the more you will enjoy different kinds of music from other generations and countries. However, try to avoid songs that dishonor the Lord through their words, and be aware that the meaning of the words may not be obvious at first.

Verse for today

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord. Ephesians 5:19

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