1 Chronicles 17:16-27

David’s Prayer in Response

16 Then David the king went in and sat before the Lord and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house that You have brought me this far? 17 This was a small thing in Your eyes, O God; but You have spoken of Your servant’s house for a great while to come, and have regarded me according to the standard of a man of high degree, O Lord God. 18 What more can David still say to You concerning the honor bestowed on Your servant? For You know Your servant. 19 O Lord, for Your servant’s sake, and according to Your own heart, You have wrought all this greatness, to make known all these great things. 20 O Lord, there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 21 And what one nation in the earth is like Your people Israel, whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people, to make You a name by great and terrible things, in driving out nations from before Your people, whom You redeemed out of Egypt? 22 For Your people Israel You made Your own people forever, and You, O Lord, became their God.

23 “Now, O Lord, let the word that You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house be established forever, and do as You have spoken. 24 Let Your name be established and magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is the God of Israel, even a God to Israel; and the house of David Your servant is established before You.’ 25 For You, O my God, have revealed to Your servant that You will build for him a house; therefore Your servant has found courage to pray before You. 26 Now, O Lord, You are God, and have [d]promised this good thing to Your servant. 27 And now it has pleased You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may [e]continue forever before You; for You, O Lord, have blessed, and it is blessed forever.”

This response from David reminds me of something I read once from C.S. Lewis. And though I can’t remember the exact wording, it has something to do with the idea that God alone has this amazing ability to lift us up without making us full of ourselves, and can humble us without degrading us.

David shows both in his prayer, and he rightly acknowledges that all of it is for the glory of God. In the midst of having incredibly lofty promises made to him, David knows that he serves Israel at the will of God alone. He could easily have said, “oh yeah, I’ve arrived, I knew all this hard work would pay off!” But instead, David shows his humility and praises God for the blessings that He chooses to pour out.

So should our hearts be, if we desire anything of God, let us learn to be humble in the most exalted stations, and in the lowest. Knowing that our value in His eyes is priceless, yet He is forever and infinitely above that and worthy of all our thanks and praise.

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