Pray:
Father, today, with the help of the Holy Spirit, may I pray sincerely and praise You joyfully.
Read:
2 Samuel 7:18-29
Meditate
Consider: We need a greater appreciation in our lives for all the blessings and challenges that help us grow.
Think Further:
On that day, David went in to sit before the Lord to worship. After all, God had promised to give him an eternal family and to keep one of his descendants reigning over Israel forever. Recall that the king had brought the Ark of the Covenant, God's portable temple sheltered in a tent of black goat's hair, to Jerusalem and put it in his own back yard. David's love for God's special presence in the tabernacle survived the incident in which God struck Uzzah for preventing the ark from crashing to the ground.
This was no ordinary promise. David responded to God, "This decree, Sovereign Lord, is for a mere human!" (19), by which he meant "for mankind." This charter for humanity would stand throughout the ages. It centers Israel and their Messiah as the hope of the world. In its message, one of David's descendants would rule all of the earth, Jews and Gentiles, forever.
Big promises deserve big praise. David's response to God's promise is rooted in hope for the future of all humanity. But David's praise also models a correct response to God's goodness in our individual lives. This is personal worship. Worship, simply defined, is taking God seriously by treating God like he is there. Because he is there, he hears us and acts on our behalf when we come to him with our needs. We do not deserve the blessings that God sends our way. And the sufferings that are part of our lives in this sin-cursed world become God's theater for deliverance. The question is, are we watching God's theater or participating in it? Worship is not for spectators but for those who are willing to engage God personally and dependently. Those who do will praise big.
Apply:
Reflect on the ways that God has provided for you and protected you. Now praise him in proportion to your abundance.
Pray:
Father, as I sit before You and consider how You have blessed me, I thank You for Your kindness and praise You for Your greatness.
