Listen to the Music

By Dave Walker | September 4, 2026 | Comments 0 Comment

“I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord.”

— Psalm 27:13–14 (NASB)

Why I Wrote Listen to the Music

For most of my life, I have worked in operating theatres, intensive care units, and some of the world’s most demanding medical environments. Along the way, I have witnessed intense suffering. I have seen lives changed in an instant from injury or disease, families facing unimaginable decisions, and people standing at the edge of uncertainty.

Yet alongside the pain, I have also watched individuals endure loss, uncertainty, and suffering while holding onto a belief that there is something greater than what they could see in that moment. In many instances, I have been privileged to help them hold onto a God of love despite the trials.

I wrote Listen to the Music because I believe stories have the power to reach places that explanations often cannot. A story can make us pause, challenge our assumptions, awaken compassion, stir forgotten memories — perhaps even help us hear God’s voice in a new way.

These stories are, in many ways, a reflection of what I have witnessed throughout my life: the reality of human suffering, the complexity of faith, and the quiet, persistent presence of God—even in the moments when He seems silent.

What You Will Find Inside

Listen to the Music is a collection of true Christian short stories shaped by real experiences, encounters with people from different cultures, and a deep conviction that God is present in every part of life.

Whether you are new to faith, wrestling with difficult questions, or have walked with Christ for many years, these stories invite you to pause and reflect on your own journey.

Within these pages, you will encounter people whose lives reveal extraordinary courage, sacrifice, heartbreak, and faith.

You will meet Father Damien in “Plundering a Hell on Earth,” a powerful account of sacrificial love and compassion in the face of overwhelming human suffering.

You will be challenged to consider eternal truths in “I Did It My Way,” a story that invites reflection on the choices we make and the paths we follow.

You will encounter the devastating consequences of conflict in “Scorched Earth, Seared Soul,” where the tragedy and senselessness of war leave a lasting mark on both the land and the human heart.

And in “To Mary, and Mary,” you will discover a tender and deeply moving story of love, humanity, and connection.

Each story stands on its own, yet together they form something larger: a collection of moments that invite readers to think deeply, feel honestly, and look again for the presence of God in both the extraordinary and the ordinary.

These are not simply stories meant to entertain. They are stories intended to stay with you.

A Perspective Shaped by Life and Faith

As a physician, I have had the privilege of serving in South Africa, Namibia, China, the United Kingdom, and the Middle East. These experiences have taken me across cultures, communities, and circumstances that have profoundly shaped the way I see the world.

I have seen extraordinary resilience despite devastating suffering. I have seen how fragile life can be, but also how remarkably strong the human spirit can become when sustained by hope.

Although my medical background has given me a close view of the realities of pain, loss, and human vulnerability, my Christian faith has given me a different lens through which to understand those experiences. That combination shapes the stories in Listen to the Music.

They do not attempt to offer easy answers to life’s difficult questions. They acknowledge the reality of pain while holding onto the possibility of hope. Faith does not remove every struggle, but it gives us something to hold onto as we walk through them.

The stories, then are deeply human, spiritually reflective, and grounded in the realities of life.

What Readers Are Saying:

One reader described the experience this way:

“The best accolade I can give is that it leads you to search your own heart and that of the Lord.”

Another reader wrote:

“A real treasure trove of vignettes, little polished gems that keep me digging for more. I wept on several occasions at the beauty of your language and the emotions you evoked.”

These responses capture something of what I hoped the book might accomplish — not simply to provide answers, but to encourage reflection, inviting readers to search their own hearts. And perhaps, in doing so, to listen more carefully for the voice of God.

Why This Book Matters Now

We live in a world filled with noise.

There are endless voices competing for our attention, voices of fear, anger, distractions and uncertainty. For many people, the future can often feel uncertain, and anxiety is overwhelming.

With all this noise, it can be difficult to listen, to be still, to trust.

Yet Scripture reminds us that God’s presence does not depend on our circumstances, nor on our seasons of waiting. Sometimes His music is loud and unmistakable. Sometimes it is quiet. Sometimes, we must wait patiently before we can hear it again.

Listen to the Music is an invitation to pause amid the noise and pay attention to Him, to the people around us and to His involvement in it all. It is a reminder that even when we cannot understand the entire melody, we may still trust the One who is composing it.

Finally

Life does not always unfold according to our plans. There are moments when faith feels effortless, and others when waiting becomes one of the greatest tests of all.

But even in the waiting, God is at work.

And even when we cannot yet understand the melody, we can trust the One who holds the music.

May you find strength when the journey feels difficult.

May you find courage when the future feels uncertain.

May you learn to wait with hope.

And may you continue to believe, as the Psalmist says in psalm 27, that you will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

Blessings,

Dave Walker, MD

Author of Listen to the Music

About the Author
Dave Walker, MD is a physician whose medical career has taken him into operating theatres, intensive care units, and challenging medical environments across several parts of the world.
Having served in South Africa, Namibia, China, the United Kingdom, and the Middle East, his experiencesh ave provided him with a unique perspective on human suffering, resilience, faith, and hope.
He now lives in Howick, South Africa, with his wife, Dorelle.

Learn more:
Dave Walker’s Websitehttps://www.scribewalker.com/
Explore his books:
Dave Walker on Amazonhttps://amazon.com/author/dave_walker_md

Why celebrate?

By Dave Walker | December 22, 2020 | Comments 14 comments

There’s only one cause to celebrate, this year

As 2020 draws to a close, there’s hardly cause to welcome 2021 with any sort of joyful anticipation.

Many, suffering ‘lockdown fatigue’ are being more lax about the precautions set in place to stop the spread of Covid 19, and infections are soaring. In a malevolent twist, the virus has taken advantage of this and mutated to a more virulent form. Death, suffering, bereavement and fear are trampling our planet.

Until this year, Christmas, for many, has merely been a prelude to welcoming the New Year. Perhaps God is urging us, now, to focus on the real reason we celebrate, for if we do that, we can look to the future with optimism.

If God can be compassionate enough to come to earth and identify with us to the extent that He feels our pain, shares our joys, demonstrates the true heart of God and then represents us before the Father to take our punishment, He will surely see us through this turbulent time if we will entrust ourselves into His loving, capable hands.

So, let’s celebrate the real Christmas story, and let the Prince of Peace speak into our hearts.

Real Christmas

God gave His Son that all the world
Would have the chance to be with Him.
His glorious presence now was curled
Within the confines of a womb.

His gift to Man took history
And pulled its course away from Hell
Unfathomable mystery
A love that has no parallel.

And now to celebrate His gift
Throughout the world we also give,
With presents for our families
With parties, food and talk of love.

Yet often in this crazy world
We give our gifts, not knowing why
We break the bank to buy the best
We worry it won’t satisfy.

We party with our families
We eat and drink and stay up late
But if in this we exclude Him
There’s nothing left to celebrate.

It all becomes an empty show
That merely gets us deep in debt
And all the feasting and the hype
Can’t heal our pain, nor our regrets.

For though we share our human love
Forget our woes with food and wine
Our loneliness requires a heart
That’s grateful for a love divine.

We need to know a God who cares
Who wants us all to worship Him
To celebrate the way He’s made
To rescue us from all our sin.

If we party, give our gifts
Ignoring Him who’s paid the way
Then ‘Happy Christmas’ is just words
Whose meaning fades with Boxing Day

For always when we celebrate
A God who came to be with us
The next act hovers in the wings
A Saviour hanging from a Cross.

It’s He who rolled away the stone
Conquered death and rose again
Ascended to His heavenly throne
And lives within the hearts of men

It’s not His birth that gives us joy
But why He came — what it was for
That’s why we’re grateful, celebrate
The Baby on a bed of straw

As a Little Child

By Dave Walker | October 7, 2019 | Comments 0 Comment

Seeing through the eyes of a child

Whew, what a week! We have our four year old grandson with us and it is hectic. I’d forgetten what it is like to have a little child in the house.

But it’s fun, and full of lessons about our walk with our heavenly Father.

For one thing, everything around him inspires wonder.

As adults we get so used to the miracles that surround us each day that we miss the wonder of it all. Yet the intricate way in which the weavers in our garden weave their nests, the tiny buds that form on branches, long bare and barren through the winter months, the way a little insect knows to scurry away as I put a finger near are all wonders of God’s creation.

Even though there might be scientific explanations for all these things, it in no way detracts from the marvel. The laws themselves, dreamed up by God from nothing, should inspire awe.

Then, my little grandson’s every second sentence is punctuated by “Why?”

“Why does this come apart?”

“So we can clean this bit and not the bit with the engine.”

“Why?”

“Because water will stop the engine working.”

“Why?”

And so on ad infinitum.

But without a clue about electricity, how does one explain about water shorting the works?

It makes me realise that God probably has the same problem with us. How often, with our very limited understanding of the true nature of things, do we ask the question “Why, God?”

That probably explains why He seldom answers the question, but graces us with His presence, His comfort and His love. As I say, in God in the ICU:

“There is a deep mystery in suffering. Nowhere does God say He will protect us from it. What He does promise, however is that He will walk with us through it.. Many people, having experienced great suffering through bereavement, persecution, financial hardship or illness testify that those were the times they felt closest to God.”

That’s usually how He answers our question, “Why?” and sometimes (often, actually), I just have to do the same with my grandson.