PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN ( 2 Samuel 7:27b ): I find the latter part of this verse to be an inspiring, but convicting one today. David says to You, “therefore, Your servant has found the courage to pray this prayer to You.” WOW! How often have I failed to say a specific prayer to You or failed to pray about something because I’ve failed to “find the courage” in myself to bring it up to You? I already know that You know everything, but for some reason prayer makes it “real” on my end of things. Please forgive me for failing to always have the courage to pray anything and everything to You, Father. Forgive me for thinking I even need to be courageous to say a prayer to You. You are always ready and willing to listen to me if I would just be ready and willing to speak to You. Help me to be better in this act of prayer towards You, Father.
PROMISE ( 2 Samuel 7:16 ): Not only did You promise David that he’d be king of all Israel. Not only did You fulfill that promise and he is now king of all Israel. Now, You are making him a promise that his house and kingdom will endure before You forever. That’s a powerful promise, Father! That’s an amazing promise. What I see here is that You have made David king of Israel, but You have also guaranteed him a lasting legacy in Your name. Now, THAT is a powerful promise! Since I’m still reading about him thousands of years later, I would think this promise has already come to fulfillment assuming that is what You meant by this of course.
ATTITUDE ( 2 Samuel 7:18 ): David attitude here is one that I definitely struggle with. It’s actually two-fold. The first is his attitude of prayer. He goes to You in prayer so often and I fail to do this even half as much as David in my own life, Father. I need to be better at praying often in my life. The second is his attitude of humility. He’s the king of Israel because of You and here he is asking You “who am I, Lord God, and what is my house that You have brought me this far?” This attitude of humility is one that I’m getting better at, but I still have much work to do on the topic. Continue Your great works in me, Father, to point me in the right direction when I’m slacking off in these two topics. Help me to become a better man than I have been for Your kingdom, Father.
COMMAND ( 2 Samuel 7:2-3 ): I am not certain if this is a command from You or not, but it sure seems like it to me. David states to Nathan that while David lives in a cedar house, the ark of God is still living inside a tent. Nathan then responds to David with, “Go and do all that is on your heart, for the Lord is with you.” If David’s feels that way about the ark of God’s residence, per se, then I would think Nathan’s response come from You stating for David to build a great home for Your ark. You say it in a way, though, that reminds me of another piece of scripture about our heart’s desires once our heart is aligned with You. Is David’s heart aligned with You enough here to realize Your desires for his heart, Father? Does he follow Your command here or does he just brush it off and begin embracing the lavish lifestyle of being the king?
EXAMPLE ( 2 Samuel 7:18-29 ): These last few verses are a great example for me to live by, Father. Nathan gives David some direct visions and words from You. David doesn’t argue, debate, nor question Nathan. Instead, he leaves and goes into solitude to speak to You. He immediately goes into prayer as his response to Nathan’s words. His prayer is full of love towards You and humility towards himself. He acknowledges that all of his accomplishments are straight from You as he is not worthy. I need to be better at living my life as David has up to this point, Father. Thank You for the great example.
*DAILY NOTE: David truly is an inspiration to me. I know he screws up many times throughout his life, but all of us do unfortunately. Jesus was the only one in this world that didn’t screw up and He’s 100% human AND 100% God. I am only human as is David, so the struggle is real, Father. You are always showing us grace, mercy, love, and kindness and I am so grateful for You, Father. Thank You for everything You have orchestrated in my life, Father. Thank You for teaching me lessons to look back on for the things that weren’t of You, so that I can learn from them and become a better man as a result. Thank You for always being there for me in my ups, downs, and everywhere in between. Thank You for today’s quite powerful quiet time, Father.
EXPAND TO READ: GENERAL NOTE FOR MY QUIET TIMES
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