Pray Like a King

(1 Chron 29:10-20)

David's time as king is almost over as he prepares to turn over the throne to his son, Solomon. I am sure somewhere down deep inside, he is disappointed that God has chosen to let Solomon build the temple. David worked and saved and designed and planned, only to hand over the entire project to his son. Sure, if you have to hand over the reigns to someone, better a son than a stranger. But still, there must have been some hurt, some disappointment in the situation.

That is what amazes me about the prayer that is contained in these verses. Take a moment to read and digest the setting and the words.

Therefore David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: “Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.
"But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. For we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding. O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own. I know, my God, that you test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. In the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things, and now I have seen your people, who are present here, offering freely and joyously to you. O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people, and direct their hearts toward you. Grant to Solomon my son a whole heart that he may keep your commandments, your testimonies, and your statutes, performing all, and that he may build the palace for which I have made provision.”

Then David said to all the assembly, “Bless the Lord your God.” And all the assembly blessed the Lord, the God of their fathers, and bowed their heads and paid homage to the Lord and to the king.

David rises above the human disappointment, puts aside his ego and praises God in prayer. Publicly! He stands before the assembly and proclaims God's goodness and power. Reread the prayer if you need to. Underline the words that leap from the page in worship to God. The thing that really inspires me is that these are the words of a great and powerful king. This leads me to some questions that I believe each of us should ask ourselves.

1. If king David was willing to step down from his throne to put God up there, am I willing to place the King on the throne of my life?
2. Am I willing, in the face of disappointment (when things didn't go like I wanted them to) to praise God for His goodness and power? Or do I pout and think badly of God who didn't conduct His business the way I wanted Him to do it?
3. Am I willing to (like David did) go totally public with my praise for God? Am I willing to let others see me pour out my heart before the LORD?
4. Am I praying for those around me? For God to direct their hearts? For Him to keep our children faithful?
5. Am I willing to thank God, in the midst of my own personal disappointment, for His provision and care in my life?

David was surely a man after God's own heart, but he was also a notorious sinner who struggled just like I do. His example is included in God's word for us to see that even though we are sinners (and we all are), even though we suffer the consequences of those sins, God is always there, always loving us and always ready to welcome us back to His house.

David's prayer is filled with worship and praise because he understood that life here is temporary and that his time as king was "like a shadow and there is no abiding". He looked forward to his home in heaven with God and so he prayed for those that he would leave behind. David left us with a great example in his prayer. May we determine to pray like a king, on our knees, lifting up our friends and family in prayer, praising His holy name. Amen? Amen!