How should we pray? We are often urged to “name it and claim it,” to ask God for whatever we want in the confidence that He will certainly give it to us. But that doesn’t seem to be David’s idea.
No, instead of being focused on his own desires, David is principally concerned with what God wants. In verses 23 and 24, he points out that God redeemed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt so that they could be God’s people, so that they could belong to God. And in verse 26, he expresses his desire that God’s name be magnified, lifted up. In short, David’s prayer is God-centered, focused on God’s will and God’s glory.
Moreover, the only thing David asks God to do in this prayer is what God has already said He would do. In verse 25, David asks God to confirm His promise to establish David’s dynasty. And in verse 27, David insists that the only reason he dares to ask for such a blessing is because God has already promised it to him.
So, why would David pray this way? Well, if he was primarily concerned with God’s will being done, of course he would focus his prayers on promises God has already made, for those promises would express most fully what God wants to happen. Those promises would most fully express God’s true nature, revealing Him in all His glory to the world.
And that’s a good model for us too. Instead of barging into God’s presence and presenting our Heavenly King with all our demands, wouldn’t it make more sense for us first to try to determine what God wants, what God thinks is best for us and our loved ones? After all, if we admit that God is wiser than we are, shouldn’t we prefer His will to our own? Shouldn’t we try to line up our desires with His, rather than insisting that He do what we want?
And best of all, if we have confidence that what we pray for is actually what God wants to happen, can we imagine that God would refuse us? Can anything be too hard for the God Who brought His people out of Egypt (v. 23), the God Who made a shepherd boy a king, the God Who chose to be born to a virgin, the God Who rose from the dead?
No, we could do a lot worse than to pray the humble way David did, the way that Jesus taught us in the Lord’s Prayer, and the way Jesus modeled for us in the Garden of Gethsemane: “Thy will be done.” For only as God accomplishes His will in us and through us will He receive the glory for everything He does.
II Samuel 7:23-29 (ESV)
23 And who is like your people Israel, the one nation on earth whom God went to redeem to be his people, making himself a name and doing for them great and awesome things by driving out before your people, whom you redeemed for yourself from Egypt, a nation and its gods?
24 And you established for yourself your people Israel to be your people forever. And you, O LORD, became their God.
25 And now, O LORD God, confirm forever the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, and do as you have spoken.
26 And your name will be magnified forever, saying, ‘The LORD of hosts is God over Israel,’ and the house of your servant David will be established before you.
27 For you, O LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you.
28 And now, O Lord GOD, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant.
29 Now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. For you, O Lord GOD, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever.”
