City Life Starter

The Word: 2 Samuel 12:15-22 (NIRV)

15 After Nathan returned to his home, the Lord sent a deadly illness to the child of David and Uriah’s wife. 16 David begged God to spare the child. He went without food and lay all night on the bare ground. 17 The elders of his household pleaded with him to get up and eat with them, but he refused. 18 Then on the seventh day the child died. David’s advisers were afraid to tell him. “He wouldn’t listen to reason while the child was ill,” they said. “What drastic thing will he do when we tell him the child is dead?” 19 When David saw them whispering, he realized what had happened. “Is the child dead?” he asked.

“Yes,” they replied, “he is dead.”

20 Then David got up from the ground, washed himself, put on lotions, and changed his clothes. He went to the Tabernacle and worshiped the Lord. After that, he returned to the palace and was served food and ate. 21 His advisers were amazed. “We don’t understand you,” they told him. “While the child was still living, you wept and refused to eat. But now that the child is dead, you have stopped your mourning and are eating again.” 22 David replied, “I fasted and wept while the child was alive, for I said, ‘Perhaps the Lord will be gracious to me and let the child live.’ 23 But why should I fast when he is dead? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him one day, but he cannot return to me.”

Reflection Question:

Is your heart in God, or in God’s answers to your prayers?

By Heather Mattingly

This week’s focus is on how do we believe despite unanswered prayers. For today’s reading, we’re going to focus on not so much strategy for prayer, but on the graciousness of our Father God Whom, we are praying to.

The story above is from an event in King David’s life. History knows King David as the shepherd king of Israel, a tender warrior, and a man after God’s own heart.  David knew the power of prayer; the Bible’s stories of David show us a man who knew how to pray and how to repent. But he was not without his faults. This story takes place immediately following the prophet Nathan confronting David about committing adultery with Bathsheba and then murdering her husband, Uriah after she became pregnant with David’s child (2 Sam 11:1–12:14).

After David’s confession of his sin during Nathan’s confrontation with him (2 Sam 12:13), Nathan pronounced God’s judgment, saying, “The Lord has taken away your sin. You aren’t going to die. But you have dared to show great disrespect for the Lord. So the son who has been born to you will die.’” (v.13-14).

David knew the power of God’s Word, but he also knew the power of God’s grace and mercy. He took his despondency directly to the Lord in prayer and fasting. The Bible says He “lay all night on the bare ground” (v.16) for seven days (v.18). Can you picture this scene in your mind? A mighty king, but above all, a desperate dad, interceding for his baby son by prostrating himself on the bare ground and not getting up, not eating, not sleeping, just weeping and begging God for mercy, and praying, praying, praying…..

On the seventh day, David and Bathsheba’s son died. David’s advisers were too scared to tell him for fear that he would kill himself. But the Bible says that when David found out his son was dead, he got up, got dressed, anointed himself, went to worship the Lord in the Tabernacle, and then went home and ate food (v.20).

What? How did David immediately go and worship the Lord after his prayer was not answered? How was he not even more despondent after his son’s death?

David tells us the answer himself, ““I fasted and wept while the child was alive, for I said, ‘Perhaps the Lord will be gracious to me and let the child live. But why should I fast when he is dead? Can I bring him back again?…’”(v.22-23).

David’s heart was in God, not in God’s answers to his prayers.

David was able to accept God’s answer because he knew that to accept God’s answer is to accept God Himself. He wasn’t afraid of accepting the death of his son. And on this side of the Cross, we know that David was praying to a Father who also knows what it’s like to go through the death of a Child.

David also knew the graciousness of our God and knew that while his son was still alive and there was still hope, he could do all he could to pray, fast, and plead for God to change His mind. He put His trust in God and prayed fervently, despite whatever outcome God decided upon. Oh Lord, let us know You and pray to You the same way David did! Prayer wasn’t something David had to do, he knew prayer is the closeness with You, intimacy with You; it was something he got to do:

Psalm 103:8-13 (A Psalm of David)

The Lord is compassionate and gracious,

slow to anger, abounding in love.

He will not always accuse,

nor will he harbor his anger forever;

He does not treat us as our sins deserve

or repay us according to our iniquities.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is his love for those who fear him;

As far as the east is from the west,

so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

As a father has compassion on his children,

so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him”

Unanswered prayer hurts. It’s difficult to reconcile unanswered prayers or this healing that didn’t happen, or this salvation that didn’t happen, or this ________ that didn’t work out, etc, with a God who the Bible says, “hears His people when they call to Him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles” (Psalm 34:17 NLT).

God’s response to each one of us is simply this: “Do you trust Me?”

Prayer:

“Father, I am having a difficult time reconciling unanswered prayers from my past experiences with belief in Your goodness. Lord, please give me a faithful heart that pleases You and trusts You unconditionally. I want You to have all of me, although I don’t know how to practically give all of myself to You. But I am willing. Holy Spirit, please show me the way to Your face, and not Your hand. Teach me to pray (Luke 11:1), and how to be intimate with You in prayer, giving You all of me, no matter what the “answers” to my prayers are. Amen.”