Prayer - Lesson 2

If I were to describe David to anyone, I would say several things. One, he was a man after God's own heart (1 Sam 13:14); Two, he was a mighty conqueror (1 Samuel 17-18): Three, he was a faithful friend (1 Sam 20 + 2 Sam 9); Four, He was a skilled musician (2 Samuel 22:1); Five, he found his strength in the Lord (2 Sam 30:6).

Of his early life, we do not know details, but we do know that he trusted fully upon the Lord to guide, direct and strengthen him for the task of shepherding his fathers sheep. We also know that he often played his harp and sang songs to the Lord. Many of his songs (Psalms) have been recorded, and within them we do truly get to see his heart. Before we start digging into the Psalms, let us take a look at other times that David prayed:

Time after time we see him "inquiring of the Lord" before making decisions to move forward in battle, or other areas, such as in preparing to build the temple (2 Samuel 7:8-16). We also see his obedience to the answers of those prayers, even when it meant that he would not be able to follow after a dream, or, like in the case of his son, loosing something of great importance to him.

Here are some instances given:
• He knew beyond a doubt that God was able to give victory - look up 1 Samuel 17:45-57, and explain:
  
  
  
  
  
• Seeking the Lord's guidance before assisting Keilah with the Philistines - 1 Sam 23:1-5 - share your thoughts on this:
  
  
  
  
  
• In the midst of utter despair, he seeks the Lord's instruction before acting - 1 Sam 30 - what do you think your response might have been in similar circumstances? Explain:
  
  
  
  
  
• He was real. He sinned, he repented, he sought the Lord through prayer and fasting - and, even though the answer was other than what he desired, he accepted it graciously - 2 Samuel 12:13-22 - have you experienced disappointment? Can you identify in some way with this? Explain:
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

I would encourage you, before you begin the next study, to continue to look at David's life and how he fully relied upon the Lord. Next time, we'll be taking a look at David's Psalms and the different types of prayers they represent. Until then, it would be great if you would share your thoughts on this study with us through 'comments'!



(My deepest gratitude to CrossWalk for providing the blessing of these great Biblical resources on line!)