Time Well Spent

For the most part, shepherding was a tranquil and solitary occupation. But David did not allow himself to become bored. On the contrary, the peaceful stillness afforded him numerous opportunities for meditation. It seems likely that some of David’s reflections included in his psalms are traceable to his youth. Was it during moments of solitude that he pondered man’s place in the universal order and the wonders of the heavens​—sun, moon, and stars, “the works of [Jehovah’s] fingers”? Was it in the fields around Bethlehem that he contemplated the productive land, the cattle and oxen, the birds and “the beasts of the open field”?​—Psalm 8:3-9; 19:1-6.

No doubt David’s own experience as a shepherd made him feel all the more deeply Jehovah’s tenderness toward His faithful ones. David thus sang: “Jehovah is my Shepherd. I shall lack nothing. In grassy pastures he makes me lie down; by well-watered resting-places he conducts me. Even though I walk in the valley of deep shadow, I fear nothing bad, for you are with me; your rod and your staff are the things that comfort me.”​—Psalm 23:1, 2, 4.

You might be wondering just what all of this has to do with you. The answer is that one of the reasons David enjoyed intimacy with Jehovah and could be called “a man agreeable to his heart” was that he had meditated deeply and seriously on Jehovah’s works and on his own relationship with God. Can the same be said of you?

Have you ever felt moved to praise and glorify the Creator after carefully considering some aspect of his handiwork? Did you ever feel your heart fill with love for Jehovah upon seeing his qualities as reflected in his dealings with mankind? Naturally, in order to feel any such appreciation for Jehovah, you need to dedicate time to quiet, prayerful reflection on God’s Word and on his creation. Such contemplation can help you to come to know Jehovah intimately​—and thus to love him. Young and old alike can have this privilege. In all likelihood, David was close to Jehovah right from his youth.

In any case, David was very young when Jehovah chose him. Yet, it would seem that David was already a very spiritually-minded person. He evidently had a close relationship with Jehovah, which he developed by pondering over what he knew about God.

Young people today should be encouraged to do the same. So, parents, are you encouraging your children to meditate on spiritual matters, to appreciate God’s creation, and to study what the Bible says about the Creator? (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) And you young people, are you doing this on your own? Bible-based publications such as the Watchtower and Awake! magazinesb are designed to help you.