Thank You, Lord!

18 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said:

“Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? 19 And as if this were not enough in your sight, Sovereign Lord, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant—and this decree, Sovereign Lord, is for a mere human!

20 “What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, Sovereign Lord. 21 For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant.

22 “How great you are, Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. 23 And who is like your people Israel—the one nation on earth that God went out to redeem as a people for himself, and to make a name for himself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations and their gods from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt? 24 You have established your people Israel as your very own forever, and you, Lord, have become their God.

25 “And now, Lord God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised, 26 so that your name will be great forever. Then people will say, ‘The Lord Almighty is God over Israel!’ And the house of your servant David will be established in your sight.

27 “Lord Almighty, God of Israel, you have revealed this to your servant, saying, ‘I will build a house for you.’ So your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. 28 Sovereign Lord, you are God! Your covenant is trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant. 29 Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, Sovereign Lord, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever.”

In the book A Grace Revealed Jerry Sittser tells about the ­tragic deaths of his wife, mother, and daughter in an auto accident. He wondered what could come out of such a horrific ­ordeal. He settled on redemption as the word that brought him hope: “[God] wants the harsh conditions [of life] to shape us and eventually the whole world into something extraordinarily beautiful. Redemption promises to transform, so completely.”

David endured family squabbles, death threats, and many military battles before he experienced a time of rest and peace as Israel’s second king. Through it all, he knew “the Lord was with him.” And now the Lord had made a promise that his kingdom would endure and his throne would be established forever. The king knew he had to obey God’s Word and seek to follow God’s will, reminding his people ­every step of the way. David knew that Israel was “the one nation on earth that God went out to redeem as a people for himself and to make a name for himself.” God was working to make something out of David’s life and out of this nation for his good purposes all the nations.

Similarly, we are never beyond the redemptive work of David’s descendant Jesus in his desire to make something out of us today.

Lord, may I trust your redemptive work of always pruning, encouraging, and molding me to serve your good purposes. In Christ’s name, Amen.