Tim Helwege

1 Samuel 16:17-19, 23 (ESV)

So Saul said to his servants, “Provide for me a man who can play well and bring him to me.” One of the young men answered, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a man of valor, a man of war, prudent speech, and a man of good presence, and the Lord is with him.” Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me David your son, who is with the sheep.” And whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the harmful spirit departed from him.

Reflection

Whenever I picture someone playing the “lyre” I can’t help but envision the classic college-sophomore guy with his guitar in the middle of some grassy quad area trying to play Oasis’ hit single “Wonderwall,” and wondering why there’s a group of people all gathered around him. What makes someone like this so alluring? Is it the hair? Is it the post-rock grunge clothes and jeans with holes in them? Is it the music itself? If I’m being honest, what makes it so alluring to me is that there is a gentleness to the melody of what is being played that invites my soul to take a rest. There’s some sort of factor at play that invites me into a space that I’ve always seemed too guarded to want to walk into. And whenever I’ve allowed myself to accept the invitation, I’ve always been amazed at the things my heart and soul experience in those moments.

I find it interesting that the man describing David to Saul mentions that he is “a man of valor and war.” Because really all Saul wants is a guy who is able to play the lyre in a way that soothes his soul. But there’s something about this David character that makes him so alluring. Not only is he is also strong, charismatic, and a force to be reckoned with, but he is gentle enough to be able to play the lyre. It’s his gentleness that helps soothe Saul’s soul and bring him into a place of experiencing God.

In my own Christian journey, I’ve been met with a conundrum: I need to be either gentle or strong. There are either times where I need to be gentle with others and show them grace, or times where I need to be strong and stick up for myself, but never both at once. That these two opposing forces couldn’t possibly co-exist with one another in the same moment. However, it’s not an “either/or” scenario, but it’s actually a “both/and.”

When we live into the “both/and” reality of our strength and gentleness, we allow others to step into something much bigger than themselves. They see our strength as something that sets us apart from the world around us, and our gentleness as something that invites them to stop, exhale, and breathe. Just as David was called to be both strong and gentle in his interactions with Saul, this is what Christ calls us to do too. 

Prayer:

Gracious God, thank you for first being gentle toward me. Thank you for showing me that it is not power or force that brings me into your presence, but a heart that is gentle and willing. Help me to reflect your kindness and gentleness onto those around me, and to know that strength and gentleness combine in the mixer to make one delicious cake. Be the light that shines the way before me in strength, beauty, kindness, and gentleness. Amen.