DAILY READING
REFLECTION
Praying God's Promises
By Dave Mann
God promised to David that his lineage would have a descendant on the throne into eternity.
The prophet Nathan declared God’s promise to David in 2 Samuel 7:14-16, probably written around 1000 B.C. See how these verses are echoed in Psalm 89:30-37.
God loves his chosen one.
If the son of the chosen one is unfaithful, God will punish him.
But God’s love is sure.
David’s line will endure forever.
David’s throne is established forever.
However, God’s fulfillment of his promises often takes a shape different from what we expect. Psalm 89 was written during the exile when there was no longer a descendant of David sitting on the throne in Jerusalem. How could this promise of a descendant of David be seated on the throne forever be true, when the capital city of Jerusalem was burning, the treasury plundered, and the people led off into captivity in 586 B.C.? Have you had situations in your life when you questioned the integrity of God’s promises? How can you pray when you doubt God’s promises?
Pray through the promises of God. Ask God to open your heart to learn what his promises mean. God’s people in Babylon kept on praying the promises that they knew from 2 Samuel 7. Psalm 89 is such a situation. This psalm is a mixture of God singing to his people, and God’s people singing to Him. How could they celebrate God’s faithfulness when they were in Babylon? Little did they know that the descendant of David who would be king of God’s people forever would be born in Bethlehem hundreds of years later. God was indeed faithful to his promises but in a way that would be even better than their wildest dreams.
After God allowed King Nebuchadnezzar II to take the Jews into captivity, many Jews felt despondent. Some questioned whether God would free His rebellious people. Here, the psalmist appeals to God to remember His eternal covenant with David. The psalm reveals seven reasons to praise God. We can praise him for his: 1) loving grace, 2) sovereignty, 3) righteousness, 4) faithfulness, 5) loving correction, 6) mercy, and 7) deliverance.
No matter what difficult circumstances you are in currently, God’s promises are true for you. Pray through the hard times and open your heart to learn how God’s love will be expressed for you in a way greater than you can imagine.
PRAYER
As our prayer today, let’s sing this worship song based on Psalm 89. Click here, and then scroll down until you see the image above. That is our sung prayer.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
DAVE MANN
I am a Pastor for Internationals (retired) in the UALC community. I am married to Pam, father of four, and grandfather of six. Pam and I have lived twenty of our years in other countries including France, Cameroon, Haiti, and Morocco. In retirement, we continue to enjoy writing devotionals, learning languages, and teaching English to internationals.
I never get tired of hearing of the promises of God fulf
Great start on a Monday!