David's Prayer

David's brave prayer: powerful and personal

In the course of time, David inquired of the Lord, "Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?"

The Lord said, "Go up."

David asked, "Where shall I go?"

"To Hebron," the Lord answered. (2 Samuel 2:1)

In this exchange, we get a window into David's prayer closet, and what encouragement we find! We see David asking God some specific questions and God giving David some specific answers.

David was a brave man. He is usually portrayed as brave because of his early beginnings when he volunteered to battle a trained man of war who was much older and larger than himself. Conquering Goliath was a victory that many others witnessed. There were many people who saw him throw one smooth stone at the enemy - an enemy that everyone else assessed as being too powerful to approach.

Apparently, David was brave in private, too. He launched some questions at God that must have seemed about as small as a stone compared to the bigness of God. Some people I know are afraid to approach God about anything specific. They think He is above all of the dailiness of life and all of our smallness, so they only ask for general blessing from a distance. They never risk baring the felt needs of their body, mind, soul to their awesome and powerful Creator, much less ask Him for a personal answer.

David knew better. His courage to ask God about big things or small things was a demonstration of his trust in God. David could do it because he knew God was not only big and powerful, but also very personal. He knew he was not just talking to himself when he prayed, and he knew he was not talking to a distant being. He went into prayer baring his soul, looking to get an answer for his very present problem, and he came out knowing where to place his next step.

What about you? Are you brave enough to throw your specific question at our very big and powerful God? Sometimes it may feel like it takes as much courage and faith as David to approach God with a question in our hand. Thankfully, He is not an enemy like Goliath, but instead a merciful Father. He restrains his wrath from those who trust that Jesus' blood was willingly shed on the cross to cleanse us from our sin. Jesus purchased for us a God-given right to approach our Father's throne boldly.

Are you brave enough to bare your soul before this powerful God, and then be still and wait for a very personal answer?