Speak Boldly - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) August 2, 2022

2 Samuel 23:5 - “If my house were not right with God, surely he would not have made with me an everlasting covenant, arranged and secured in every part; surely he would not bring to fruition my salvation and grant me my every desire.

These words were spoken by King David centuries ago. At the time, he was an old man who knew death was knocking at the door. Can you imagine being so confident about where you stand with the Lord to speak about your relationship with Him that way? David's claim was that he was in such good standing with the Lord, that God made him an everlasting and secure promise. That without this, God wouldn't have saved him and granted his desires.

Keep in mind that David peeped on a married woman bathing in her yard, desired her, and slept with her (2 Samuel 11). When she, Bathsheba, got pregnant, David brought her husband back from the warfront, hoping that she'd sleep with him so the pregnancy could be pinned on the husband and not not. However, the woman's husband, Uriah, refused to go home and enjoy the comforts of his wife during wartime, so what did David do to solve his problem? He had Uriah placed in harm's way so he'd die. Once that happened, he moved Bathsheba into his palace and made her one of his wives.

How could someone like this get to the end of his life and claim that he was in good standing with the Lord?

It shouldn't be a surprise that God is forgiving. He even pleads with us to return to Him in Isaiah 44:22, saying He has "swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist." He is the God who, when we repent, will freely forgive us and allow us a fresh start (1 John 1:9). Sure, we'll have to endure the consequences of our sin. In David's case, he repented profusely but the product of his adultery - a baby - died (2 Samuel 12). Nevertheless, God still loved him and blessed him in so many other ways. And just as He loved David despite his failures, so also does God love you and I.

Each of us needs to strive to be like David. No, I'm not suggesting people knowingly commit sin believing they can simply repent and carry on with their relationship with God. After all, God's children are expected to live righteously in the fear of the Lord. We are also warned in Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore, if we choose to continue sinning, we effectively reject the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross to set us free from death (Romans 8:2).

We need to be able to acknowledge our sins when confronted with them and truly repent. To repent means to be so afraid of repeating the sin that we take every step possible to avoid it. It is never again recorded in the Bible that David allowed his eyes to wander. Never again did he look with desire at a woman that wasn't his. He also never schemed to kill an innocent man again.

Those of us who submit our lives to the Lord and accept Jesus as our Savior have the grace afforded to us through His sacrifice on the cross. We can rely on that grace to receive everything David spoke of and more. This is because Jesus intercedes for us and by His name, we can repent for sins and be redeemed. This grace allows us to speak boldly about our relationship with the Lord, God Almighty. And unlike David, we don't have to wait till we are almost dead to do so.

May the Lord help each of us to honor Jesus' sacrifice and please God with our lives. That we too can confidently speak of our standing with the Lord, as well as everything He's done and will do for us, IJMN, Amen. See you at Noon EST for Praise & Pray (for others).