GOD'S OWN DAVID | KAIROS GLOBAL | SEPTEMBER 2026

Author: Adele Pereira

Audio

Intro: Adele Pereira writes about the conversion of 24-year-old Michael Iskander. 

As a struggling young actor, Michael was watching The Chosen with his family when he was asked who he would play if he got a shot at portraying a Biblical character. He replied, ‘David. I would love to do a scene or two with the sheep and a harp.’

Three years later, God responded with a mind-blowing offer for this young man: not just a scene or two, but a three-series OTT show as the titular lead in House of David.

House of David is Amazon Prime Video's top-ranked historical drama, rated 7.5/10 on IMDb and TV-14 for its political plotting and mild battle violence. This is 24-year-old Michael Iskander’s first time acting in film and his second professional acting job.

For a twenty-something young American to go from playing a quirky high school kid on a Broadway show to playing one of history’s most memorable kings on Amazon Prime Video is a huge accomplishment: an accomplishment that would make anyone swoon with the sudden fame and glory. 

But everything about how Michael carries himself, speaks about his life and work, and interviews makes it very clear that the sovereign King over his life is none other than King Jesus. 

Michael Iskander grew up as a Coptic Christian in Egypt knowing that every time he went to church, it was possible they wouldn’t make it back home alive. Being Christian in a context of political persecution made Michael question everything about life and faith from a young age. 

At the age of eight, when his family moved to the US, he had to learn English on the fly in the American public school system. ‘The Lord taught me through learning English, through moving my life overnight and coming to a brand-new country – not knowing the culture,  the Lord taught me through the hardships that it was His hand that protected me through every trial that I went through, and through those trials He taught me to trust Him.’

Once in the US, Michael’s family went to a non-denominational church before Michael stopped attending church altogether. He says he was still curious about his faith, reading the Bible and researching different denominations and the history of Christianity. 

It was when Michael (now famous for playing King David) stepped into St Patrick’s Cathedral, New York, for the first time that he experienced a real hunger and thirst, not just for Jesus in the Eucharist, whom he had received in the Coptic Church as a child, but to belong to Jesus and His Church. He began attending Holy Mass in the Catholic Church alone or with Catholic friends, until he made an appointment with a priest and discussed his faith for two hours over breakfast. That conversation gave Michael clarity – he did indeed want to belong to Jesus in the Catholic Church. 

So, on 21st August 2025, an almost 24-year-old Michael Iskander professed his faith before his family and friends and was received into the Catholic Church. 

As the Word of God was proclaimed at this Holy Mass, Michael thought the priest had selected the readings especially for this occasion. Psalm 89 read: 

I have found David, my servant;

with my holy oil I have anointed him,

That my hand may be always with him,

and that my arm may make him strong.

The Gospel was from John 21 about Jesus asking Peter thrice if he loved Him, to restore Peter so that his threefold profession could cancel his threefold denial.  

Michael was overwhelmed when the priest began his sermon with these words, ‘Michael, if you think that I set this up, I didn't. These are the readings for today. And if you don't know this already, the Catholic Church sets the readings years in advance, and you just happened to pick the day when those readings are used. So, beyond the calling that God has for your life and your career, I think more importantly, the calling on your life is to be a member of His Church; that's what He wants from you.’

Michael had chosen this day only because his family was visiting him from Syria and could participate in this Holy Mass; he had no idea that these were the readings for that day – for the feast of St Pius X, who, by God’s providence, is known as the Pope of the Eucharist. 

Michael says the main reason he joined the Catholic Church is the Eucharist. All his talent, fame and honour could not satisfy the hunger that he experienced in St Patrick’s Cathedral on his first visit there – only Jesus in the Eucharist could.

Since his instant success in the House of David, Michael Iskander has given interviews to Jonathan Roumie, who plays Jesus in The Chosen; Fr Mike Schmitz from Ascension Presents; the Lila Rose Show; EWTN News; and The Catholic Talk Show, among others. 

In every interview, he keeps sharing his genuine, humble faith, what God is doing for him, and God’s sovereignty over his life. 

Looking back, Michael realised that God had always been with him and had been preparing him for this role and for belonging to Him for a long time. 

While learning to use a sling like David, he realised that his high school shot put and discus experience had the same movements. While learning to play the harp like David, he realised that his mum's sudden decision to buy him a guitar when he was younger was God’s providence. When learning to sing in Ancient Hebrew like David, Michael realised that being forced to join the high school choir was a blessing. 

Being of Middle Eastern descent and looking and sounding like that was all part of God’s plan for Michael to play David. 

Despite these advantages, Michael was rejected at the first audition for King David. He got a second audition for the same role in the same series, something that rarely happens. And this time he followed his mother’s advice to fast and pray. He was sure that God was telling him that if he got this role and played this part, it would be on God’s terms. 

In auditioning for and playing the role of David, Michael had much sickness and physical hardship: he cut his foot on a rock, he tore his shoulder, and scraped his palms so badly that he struggled to hold the torch and knife in a critical scene. All of these experiences just keep making him more and more like David – ever increasingly dependent on God. 

Michael says the best day of his life was the day he was received into the Catholic Church. Since then, he has tried to attend daily Mass to receive his daily bread and to pray the Rosary. He even makes rosaries! Michael says his 5 stones to face his goliaths are: the Rosary, the Eucharist, Scripture, fasting and monthly confession. 

‘One of the greatest things about having joined the Catholic Church is that I have found peace, I have found stillness in the waiting, and I have found that I can hear God's voice a lot more clearly now. I have much more courage in my faith, and my love for Him has grown exponentially. But I would say my favourite part is being able to receive the Eucharist.’

Despite his sudden rise into fame and the opportunity to live out his calling to play David, Michael Iskander is very clear that his identity is not an actor – above his job, his career, his self, his identity – he is a follower of Jesus.

And so even though Michael is sure that he will be an actor because God has called him to do so, he is even surer that if God calls him to do something else, he will do that. Wherever God leads him, he will go. 

Adele Pereira is an ordinary woman living an extraordinary life. Nothing in her life has gone the way she hoped it would. Everything turned out much better.