David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” And Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die.” 2Sam 12:13.
I imagine you recognize the above scripture. David’s statement immediately follows Nathan’s indictment, “Thou art the man.” But do you know what immediately follows David’s confession?
Because God through Nathan declares that David’s punishment will be the death of his child, David immediately begins a week long vigil asking God to spare his son. “Who knows,” he says, “whether the Lord will be gracious to me that the child may live?”
How many times have you found yourself sorrowing over a sin in your life, even after a heartfelt repentance, but then felt it presumptuous to even ask God for the smallest thing in your prayers that same day? How many times have you said, “Not now. I need to show some real fruit of repentance before I ask God for anything at all.” How many times have you thought, “Surely He won’t listen to me yet?” Or even worse, “How can God forgive me?”
David knew better than that. He not only recognized his sin and his utter unworthiness (Psalms 32 and 51), he recognized the riches of God’s grace. We may sing about “Amazing Grace,” but David knew about it. Maybe it takes just as much faith to believe about grace as it does to believe in God. I know this: if you deny that God will forgive you and answer your prayers, you may as well deny Him.
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Eph 2:4-7
Dene Ward
I imagine you recognize the above scripture. David’s statement immediately follows Nathan’s indictment, “Thou art the man.” But do you know what immediately follows David’s confession?
Because God through Nathan declares that David’s punishment will be the death of his child, David immediately begins a week long vigil asking God to spare his son. “Who knows,” he says, “whether the Lord will be gracious to me that the child may live?”
How many times have you found yourself sorrowing over a sin in your life, even after a heartfelt repentance, but then felt it presumptuous to even ask God for the smallest thing in your prayers that same day? How many times have you said, “Not now. I need to show some real fruit of repentance before I ask God for anything at all.” How many times have you thought, “Surely He won’t listen to me yet?” Or even worse, “How can God forgive me?”
David knew better than that. He not only recognized his sin and his utter unworthiness (Psalms 32 and 51), he recognized the riches of God’s grace. We may sing about “Amazing Grace,” but David knew about it. Maybe it takes just as much faith to believe about grace as it does to believe in God. I know this: if you deny that God will forgive you and answer your prayers, you may as well deny Him.
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Eph 2:4-7
Dene Ward
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