David’s prayer in 2 Samuel 7 was given in response to God’s overwhelmingly gracious promises to him. If we step into the heart of this prayer, the modern-day believer can learn much from David’s words poured out in response to the Word of God declared over his life.
It is an authentic prayer, offered with a true heart of worship and awe of what the Lord has done. How can we pray in such a way? Every Christian may know how to pray, but not everyone knows how to pray well.
Thankfully, the Bible is full of examples, like David, that show us what a deep and true relationship with God looks like, and how that is expressed in prayer.
“Then King David went in, sat in the Lord’s presence, and said, ‘Who am I, Lord God, and what is my house that you have brought me this far?’” (2 Samuel 7:18)
The opening line in this chapter is reminiscent of how we approach God. As we pray to Him, we enter into His presence. David may have entered into a holy temple, while we can enter a church or simply pray at home. The prayer that David speaks in this particular chapter is one of thanksgiving. He begins by asking God a question about his worth. Who is he that God would choose to bless him and his people? Based on the tone, we can glean that David is grateful for the blessings but knows he does not deserve them.
David continues, acknowledging that what God has done for him is but a fraction of God’s power. And in God’s power, the Lord has revealed to David present and future blessings for him and the people of Israel. He says, “for you have also spoken about your servant’s house in the distant future” (2 Samuel 7:19). David praises God for His glory.
To David, there is no one like God, and no people like the nation of Israel. David mentions to God, God’s promise and act of redeeming the Israelites from Egypt. God has been consistent with His people, so David requests that God fulfill another promise, one that he mentions in the prayer.
David states that God told him, “I will build a house for you” (2 Samuel 7:27).
The psalmist doesn’t repeat the promise as though God has forgotten. Instead, him telling God about the promise He made reflects a state of dependency. We pray to God not because He doesn’t know our needs, He does (Matthew 6:8). We pray as an act of faith, showing God how much we need Him. In David’s prayer, he touches on a request from God, but also a sense of gratitude.
Also apparent, David’s needs and gratitude will continue forever, which is the same reason he desires for God to bless Israel forever (2 Samuel 7:28). He knows that every promise God grants He will fulfill. This notion of forever is how he ends the prayer.
The heart of this prayer rests in the idea of God making a covenant with His people. From the very beginning, God has fulfilled all of His promises beginning in Genesis. And the rest of His promises will be fulfilled through Revelations. Unlike us believers today, David was not able to read the entire Bible. He did not see Jesus and read about His miracles.
Despite what David did not witness and did not know would come, he knew a basic truth about God - He is trustworthy. Therefore, David had reason to give God praise and would always have reason. So when he prays this prayer, we understand the full scope of his gratitude.
From the way David speaks to the apparent posture of his heart, we can glean three important lessons from David.
1. Reverence for God
As David prays, he calls “Lord God” multiple times. He speaks as though reminding himself of God’s awesome power, lest he forget or not properly recognize God. In addition to repeating God’s name, David undeniably talks about what God has done. This acknowledgement of
God's power pays the Lord His due respect.
When we pray, we should address God similar to David. Even if we do not repeat God’s name multiple times, we should pray in a way that acknowledges God’s role in our lives. Do we value God, our time with Him, or His blessings? We should tell Him, just as David did. Not only that we should be unafraid in approaching God through prayer.
2. Dependence on God
David is unashamedly dependent on God. Not just him, but the nation of Israel. David is able to open the prayer by questioning his worth because apart from God he is nothing. Apart from God the nation of Israel would not be free from slavery in Egypt.
Much as David depends on God, we modern day believers do as well. No matter the reason we approach God through prayer, we depend on Him in the good times and the bad.
3. Gratitude for God
Just as we should pray on an ongoing basis, we are also to express gratitude for what God has done. David is grateful for God’s character, His blessings upon the nation, and His promises. Our reasons for gratitude should likewise be numerous. We should speak to God about our specific reasons for Gratitude and work to remind ourselves of those reasons.
With the lessons we learn from David’s prayer, we can strive to improve upon our own prayer lives. We can easily examine our own lives and find examples of broken promises. There are people who made false promises, and sometimes situations seemed promising until suddenly they were not. If there is anyone we can turn to with certainty, that would be God.
David prays confidently, approaching God knowing this reality. We can do the same. And much like David, knowing God’s faithful character we have so much reason to offer praise.
What are some God’s promises outlined for us in the Bible?
If we can be aware of these promises, we can find comfort in the good times and the bad. We can begin to see God in all circumstances.
Today, church is challenged with politics, people are challenged with fear, illness, conflict. America promotes abortion, sexual immorality. There are so many reasons to pray, and knowing that God hears us should bring us joy. As Christians let’s be like David, enter in the Lord’s presence, and pray.
No matter how we pray, we all pray for the same purpose, reaching out to God.
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