2 Samuel 7:19-21
Verse 21 For the sake of Your word and according to Your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to Your servant.
We continue with David’s prayer as he humbly sits before the Lord. To come to a point of humility we need to see ourselves in proper perspective to another and that is what David was doing. The king has just been reminded of how awesome God is. He saw God alone could be described in such a way. He uses the title Sovereign Lord a couple of times in this passage which shows us the understanding David had of his relationship with the Lord.
Sovereign is a word which speaks of God’s being over all things but it is more than that too. It is understanding that not only is He the ruler of all things, He is in total control. Nothing happens that He hasn’t either put into motion or allowed. There is nothing that surprises God and nothing that scares Him because He already knows what He has as a counter move.
The title “LORD” gets thrown around so freely in the Christian community but we need to understand the word more like David did. This was a title the Jews used to replace God’s name as they tried to keep the third commandment. The translators of the Bible have even formatted it different – LORD instead of Lord or lord – so that we can know when the term is referring to God or a mere human. The term lord speaks of placing someone in authority over us, it is saying we see we are not above others.
David uses these two words together in a double punch of authority. The king wasn’t simply being humble before the King of Kings, he was verbally expressing that he saw the One he worshiped as God Almighty, Who was not just in control of David’s life but to Who David was releasing any and all control of his life to, making God the true LORD of his life. And not just his, but he could see by God’s prophecy, God was already working out the future of David’s family as we can see by the king’s use of the present tense wording, “You have done this great thing.” David was humbled because he saw the true greatness of God.
David was humbled because he could not only see God’s greatness but he was coming to understand that God saw him for who he really was too. God didn’t have to be told by David that he was just a lowly man, God already knew that. No, He just needed David to see how great He was, so the king could know the truth about himself.
Making It Personal
Does knowing God’s greatness give you a better understanding of what it means to call Him, Lord? Does your life speak of His lordship over your life? What have you been holding out on letting Him control in your life?
Making It Personal Kids
What does it mean that Jesus is the greatest? Is Jesus the One who is in charge of your life? How do you show Him that He is in charge of your life?
Closing Prayer
Father, there are no words to describe Your greatness. And it is good for us to take the time to stop and admire You in Your fullness so we can see the truth about ourselves. We stand in awe of You. Help us always see ourselves in the light of Your greatness. In Jesus’ name, amen.