2 Samuel 7:18-29
Saturday, 30 December 2023
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” -2 Samuel 7: 18
If there is anything that puts a smile on the face of God, is when we let Him know that He is our all in all; we owe it all to Him— that is called appreciation and gratitude in our lives! That’s what David did, acknowledging the Giver of all good and the Sustainer of his life.
It doesn’t matter how wise and intelligent we may appear to be in the eyes of men, what matters most is how submissive and broken we present ourselves before the Lord. David the King and mighty warrior who won great battles for the Lord’s purpose, refused to consider himself as a superior commander-general of his time or even the best of Israel’s kings when He chose to acknowledge God for all He had done. He said before the Lord: “Who am I, O Lord God? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far?” (v.18) He considered himself and his family not worthy of all that the Lord had done for them. By giving God the praises and honor He deserves He acknowledged God’s goodness to Him. His words and expression show great gratitude and appreciation to the Lord, in the tent of the Lord’s presence.
If there is anything that God hates so much-they are PRIDE and GRUMBLING. Pride and Grumbling are two dangerous viruses that have the potential to kill the spirit of gratitude and appreciation out of our lives. A haughty attitude leaves God out of the equation in one’s achievements, without considering the reality that NOTHING JUST HAPPENS without His foreknowledge. Grumbling brings about the attitude that you deserved better than what you got. Both pride and grumbling fails to recognize the goodness of God.
Its doesn’t matter how much we may have contributed to resolving life’s problems; what matters most is when we let God know that He has helped us and given us the opportunity to do so, for which we say: “The LORD be praised!” God smiles when we praise and thank Him continually as we enjoy what God has done for us and all He is doing in our lives. Whenever we make a prayer of appreciation to the Lord, we are giving Him the opportunity to strengthen our lives which eventually puts Him in charge of our lives and His work in our lives. David’s prayer of gratitude did not only put God in charge of his entire service and ministry, but the impact of it produced a ripple effect in his entire generation.
Even though David was a king and commander in Chief who stood to support and defend God’s purpose so greatly, yet he submitted all of his honor to the Lord, putting Him above all else. We may be strategically positioned in a church or fellowship to serve God’s purpose in diverse areas—no matter how gifted and influential we are, we must always have in mind that the significance and supremacy of the Heavenly Father is of greatest importance. Remember He is the Potter and we are only the clay!! No potter is ever interested to work with hard and dried clay (THE PROUD) but only soft and flexible ones (THE OBEDIENT) which are easy to mold into the very shape or form, fit for the Master’s use!
As we come to the close of another year, would we acknowledge the Giver of all things and give Him honour? God who knows the end, right from the beginning deserves our praises, honor and gratitude in everything and for everything. Would we yield our lives to be shaped for His use in the coming year?
To Act On: “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.” (Psalm 118:1 NLT)
Listen: 'Goodness of GOD'