Devotions
Rev Gav
Response
2 Samuel 7.18–29
Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and prayed,
“Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? And now, Sovereign Lord, in addition to everything else, you speak of giving your servant a lasting dynasty! Do you deal with everyone this way, O Sovereign Lord?
“What more can I say to you? You know what your servant is really like, Sovereign Lord. Because of your promise and according to your will, you have done all these great things and have made them known to your servant.
“How great you are, O Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you. We have never even heard of another God like you! What other nation on earth is like your people Israel? What other nation, O God, have you redeemed from slavery to be your own people? You made a great name for yourself when you redeemed your people from Egypt. You performed awesome miracles and drove out the nations and gods that stood in their way. You made Israel your very own people forever, and you, O Lord, became their God.
“And now, O Lord God, I am your servant; do as you have promised concerning me and my family. Confirm it as a promise that will last forever. And may your name be honored forever so that everyone will say, ‘The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is God over Israel!’ And may the house of your servant David continue before you forever.
“O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, God of Israel, I have been bold enough to pray this prayer to you because you have revealed all this to your servant, saying, ‘I will build a house for you—a dynasty of kings!’ For you are God, O Sovereign Lord. Your words are truth, and you have promised these good things to your servant. And now, may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. For you have spoken, and when you grant a blessing to your servant, O Sovereign Lord, it is an eternal blessing!”
Reflect
In today’s Bible Reading we hear King David’s response to God after God promised him an everlasting dynasty.
He is humble, “Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?”
He is grateful, “When you grant a blessing to your servant, O Sovereign Lord, it is an eternal blessing!”
He acknowledges God’s grace, “Because of your promise and according to your will, you have done all these great things and have made them known to your servant.”
He acknowledges God’s greatness, “How great you are, O Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you.”
He submits to God’s will, “Do as you have promised concerning me and my family. Confirm it as a promise that will last forever.”
He gives God praise, “May your name be honoured forever!”
King David gives us a model for prayer, and when we approach God in prayer, we do so with these six things.
To come into the presence of God is to recognise that God is God and we are human. We come before God recognising that without God we would not exist, that there is nothing we can do to earn God’s favour or blessing, and that our very existence is a gift of grace. Prayer is about aligning ourselves with God’s will, and when we come to God, we place ourselves in God’s hands, trusting in God alone. And finally, we give God praise and worship.
Today, let us have an attitude of gratitude.
Photo by Rosie Kerr on Unsplash
Pray
Holy God
You are God in heaven
and here am I on earth.
Thank you for the life
you have breathed into me
and for your gift of grace
that sustains me.
I place my trust in you.
Let your will be done in my life.
For you are the Sovereign God almighty,
and Holy is your name.
and then