Reflections for Sunday: With David in the School of Prayer
I love the prayer of King David in response to God’s word through Nathan that David would not be the one to build a temple (2 Samuel 7:18-29, 1 Chronicles 17:16-27). It tells us much about the nature of bold and proper prayer.
To set the stage, David’s kingdom has been largely established, the Ark of the Covenant has been sought out and brought back to prominence in Israelite worship, and David has built his palace. He looks and sees that the Ark is in a tent, and purposes to build a temple for God. Through the prophet Nathan, God tells him, in effect, “You want to build me a house? No, I will build you a house, and your descendant will build my house.” Both texts covering this event then give us David’s prayer of praise in response to the message he has received.