Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and prayed, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? And now, O God, in addition to everything else, you speak of giving your servant a lasting dynasty! You speak as though I were someone very great, O Lord God! “What more can I say to you about the way you have honored me? You know what your servant is really like. For the sake of your servant, O Lord, and according to your will, you have done all these great things and have made them known.
“O 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 that stood in their way. You chose Israel to be your very own people forever, and you, O Lord, became their God.
“And now, O Lord, I am your servant; do as you have promised concerning me and my family. May it be a promise that will last forever. And may your name be established and honored forever so that everyone will say, ‘The Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, is Israel’s God!’ And may the house of your servant David continue before you forever.
“O my God, I have been bold enough to pray to you because you have revealed to your servant that you will build a house for him—a dynasty of kings! For you are God, O Lord. And you have promised these good things to your servant. And now, it has pleased you to bless the house of your servant, so that it will continue forever before you. For when you grant a blessing, O Lord, it is an eternal blessing!” 1 Chronicles 17:16-27
Well, there hasn’t been much going on for me to speak about, but that certainly doesn’t excuse me for not writing. Sorry I have missed the last several days in writing my thoughts out. I’ve been so extremely tired that every time I sat down to meditate on scripture and write out my thoughts, I’d fall asleep. So today, I wanted to share this passage from the Old Testament that I read the other day…first the notes…
Note on verses 16-20
God told David that Solomon would be given the honor of building the Temple. David responded with deep humility, not resentment. This king who had conquered his enemies and was loved by his people said, “Who am I … that you have brought me this far?” David recognized that God was the true king. God has done just as much for us, and he plans to do even more! Like David, we should humble ourselves and give glory to God, saying, “O Lord, there is no one like you.” When God chooses someone else to implement your ideas, will you respond with such humility?
Note on verses 16-27
David prayed by humbling himself (17:16-18), praising God (17:21, 22), and accepting God’s decisions, promises, and commands (17:23, 24). Sometimes we are quick to make requests to God and to tell him our troubles, but these other dimensions of prayer can deepen our spiritual life. Take time to praise God, to count his blessings, and to affirm your commitment to do what he has already said to do.
Note on verse 21
David’s reference to Israel’s exodus from Egypt would have had special significance to the original readers of 1 Chronicles, who were either beginning or had just completed a second great exodus back to Israel from captivity in Babylon. Remembering God’s promises, mercy, and protection during the first exodus would have encouraged the exiles returning once again to Israel, just as God had promised.
My marriage continues to heal, my husband continues to grow, I continue to be replenished and by combining all aspects of my situation, God is being glorified by His mighty works in each of us and our marriage, all by His own hand.
I’m beginning to come out on the other side of things and sit with David praying, Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? I have no right to claim any honor, praise or glory for the work that the Lord is completing in my marriage, my husband or myself. I thank God for His mercy and kindness, His willingness to work in each of us to make us better suited for His purposes. For so long, I tried so hard to do what I believed, to live out my convictions as to how I thought I needed to live and though I knew it all along, I was doing so in my own strength. Today, I can still safely say that the Lord is in control and I am still resting in His strength.
My husband and I have had a few miscommunications, but, we are actually talking and working things out, something that we could never quite do before. My husband still has his heart turned to the Lord, Praise God! and I am returning wholeheartedly to the Lord, thank You Jesus!
When I read this the other day, the very last sentence struck me deeply, For when you grant a blessing, O Lord, it is an eternal blessing! It isn’t just that the Lord wants to bless us here in the present world, but He wants to continue to bless us when we are with Him in eternity. And though some of the blessings are of this present world, some will definitely carry over to the next life. While we cannot take our wealth and possessions, we can take our hearts, our souls, our minds, our love for Him.
To me, that is probably the greatest blessing of all, our love for God. By nature, we are sin-prone. By nature, we do not desire to follow after God. That last sentence says that Blessings are granted by the Lord, not that we are worthy of them, not that we have necessarily asked for them, but that God has actively granted, or given, us blessings. So, God has granted us the blessing of being called, of helping us to choose to answer his call, of following after Him. God grants us these good and perfect desires and we must simply accept them. This illustrates once again that God takes an active role in our lives.
And so, He has granted us the blessing of love, to love Him and to love our neighbors as ourselves. That is a blessing that transcends time. That is a blessing, above all other blessings that I’m thankful for the most.
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. Psalm 139:23-24 I give my body to You because of all you have done for me. Let my body be a living and holy sacrifice – the kind You will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship you. I won’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but I will let You transform me into a new person by changing the way I think. Then I will learn to know Your will for me, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:1-2
May God provide the increase.
