Thank You, Lord!
Scripture Reading — 2 Samuel 7:18-29
“Do as you promised, so that your name will be great forever.”
In the book A Grace Revealed Jerry Sittser tells about the tragic deaths of his wife, mother, and daughter in an auto accident. He wondered what could come out of such a horrific ordeal. He settled on redemption as the word that brought him hope: “[God] wants the harsh conditions [of life] to shape us and eventually the whole world into something extraordinarily beautiful. Redemption promises to transform, so completely.”
David endured family squabbles, death threats, and many military battles before he experienced a time of rest and peace as Israel’s second king. Through it all, he knew “the Lord was with him.” And now the Lord had made a promise that his kingdom would endure and his throne would be established forever. The king knew he had to obey God’s Word and seek to follow God’s will, reminding his people every step of the way. David knew that Israel was “the one nation on earth that God went out to redeem as a people for himself and to make a name for himself.” God was working to make something out of David’s life and out of this nation for his good purposes all the nations.
Similarly, we are never beyond the redemptive work of David’s descendant Jesus in his desire to make something out of us today.
Lord, may I trust your redemptive work of always pruning, encouraging, and molding me to serve your good purposes. In Christ’s name, Amen.
About the author — Reginald Smith
Dr. Reginald Smith is senior pastor at Roosevelt Park Community Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he has served for seventeen years. He has also served as a pastor in Paterson, New Jersey. He and his wife, Sharon, have three daughters, Janelle, Katrina, and Mariah.
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