Lately, I have been studying the life of David through the books of 1&2 Samuel, 1 Chronicles, and Psalms. Today I was struck by David's prayer (2 Samuel 7:18-29 & 1 Chronicles 17:16-27) in response to God declaring His covenant with David and his household.
Notice that any self-centered terminology in David's prayer quickly fades away after the first verse! No I's or My's; he even goes so far as to start talking about himself in the third-person, like some narrator who can only describe a scene that unfolds before him. We get a glimpse of David's complete humility before God in this moment, especially with how he uses the word "servant" over and over again to refer to himself. The whole thing reads as a list of David's recognition of God's attributes and actions; and he glorifies God for them all. Now, I don't know how your prayer life works, but can we say that we do this sort of praying often? Or is it more self-centered, using I's and My's to list off concerns, rather than giving God glory? Is the name of the Lord used only as an announcement that the prayer request is coming next or as some sort of invocation to process the request (Lord, bless me in...; God, heal me of...)? Surely, our God cares about these things. However, we should strive to be more God-centered in our prayer life, acknowledging Him for all His awesomeness and greatness in our lives, reflecting an attitude of servanthood that is dedicated to emptying ourselves of selfish motives and doing what the Spirit commands us to do. Allow me to challenge you to start praying more often like David did here in 2 Samuel 7 & 1 Chronicles 17. See how you can glorify Him in your prayer life, using His name in more ways than simple pronouncement. See if you can start thinking of yourself coming humbly before Him in utter servanthood, ready to be commanded to serve the One True Living God. Comments are closed.
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Jason RitzServing through love and laughter is a great way to live. Categories
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