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David's Gratitude And Boldness - Preparing for Christmas
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David's Gratitude And Boldness
READ: 2 Samuel 7:18-29 David's Prayer of Thanksgiving (1 Chronicles 17.16-27) 18Then King David went into the Tent of the Lord's presence, sat down and prayed, “Sovereign Lord, I am not worthy of what you have already done for me, nor is my family.19Yet now you are doing even more, Sovereign Lord; you have made promises about my descendants in the years to come. And you let a man see this, Sovereign Lord!20What more can I say to you! You know me, your servant.21It was your will and purpose to do this; you have done all these great things in order to instruct me.22How great you are, Sovereign Lord! There is none like you; we have always known that you alone are God.23 There is no other nation on earth like Israel, whom you rescued from slavery to make them your own people. The great and wonderful things you did for them have spread your fame throughout the world. You drove out other nations and their gods as your people advanced, the people whom you set free from Egypt to be your own.24You have made Israel your own people forever, and you, Lord, have become their God. 25“And now, Lord God, fulfill for all time the promise you made about me and my descendants, and do what you said you would.26Your fame will be great, and people will forever say, ‘The Lord Almighty is God over Israel.’ And you will preserve my dynasty for all time.27Lord Almighty, God of Israel! I have the courage to pray this prayer to you, because you have revealed all this to me, your servant, and have told me that you will make my descendants kings. 28“And now, Sovereign Lord, you are God; you always keep your promises, and you have made this wonderful promise to me.29I ask you to bless my descendants so that they will continue to enjoy your favor. You, Sovereign Lord, have promised this, and your blessing will rest on my descendants forever.”
DAVID'S GRATITUDE AND BOLDNESS King David is overwhelmed with gratitude. He meets with God in the tent that contains the Ark of the Covenant or Covenant Box, which represents the Lord’s presence. And when David encounters God presence, he has some pretty amazing realizations. David describes God as “Sovereign” six times in this passage, which emphasizes that God is the one with supreme authority and power. He gives example after example as he remembers God’s work in the past. David also takes God at his word to the extent that he considers the impact of God’s promise. David longs for the promise to be fulfilled and his dynasty to last forever. He yearns for these promises to point to God being the God of Israel (v. 26). Today, let’s use David’s realizations to guide our prayer. May we give God the freedom to work in our lives, so that people will see God’s character and the fulfillment of his promises in our lives. Like David, may we be quick to give God the credit. This passage is a great reminder of the long-term view of God’s work in the world. David won’t see the fulfillment of this promise in his lifetime, yet his expectant enthusiasm is obvious. May it be contagious! Let’s follow in his footsteps as we consider the promises that God has given and will give us.
PRAYER: Dear Sovereign LORD, thank you for your promise to David and his response to you. I thank you that you are all-powerful and supreme. I am nothing compared to you. You deserve to have complete freedom in my life to do what you want. May I rely on you and trust you and your promises. You are with me and nothing can separate me from your love (Romans 8:38-39). Through faith in Jesus, I will spend eternity with you. Thank you. Help me to think long-term and, most importantly, on your terms. You are the all-powerful and supreme God. I love you and thank you for all you’ve done and will do. Amen.
DIG DEEPER: Based on your current circumstances, which one of God’s promises is especially meaningful during this time? If you haven’t memorized that promise, go for it. You can download the BibleMinded app, which is a great tool. If you’re looking for a passage, Romans 8:38-39 is a wonderful promise. Tomorrow we’ll read about one of David’s descendants, King Ahaz. He worships other gods, but God still reaches out to him. God gives him an encouraging promise, one that is very familiar to us.
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Amen! This is encouraging...