What do we do when our world falls apart?
• We pray for God’s help, and submit to God’s will. We keep faith with God and believes that He is good and He knows what He is doing.
• Let’s learn this from David in 2 Sam 12:13-23.
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Nathan said to David: “The Lord has forgiven you and you are not going to die.”
• Verse 14: “But because by doing this you have made the enemies of the Lord show utter contempt (for the Lord), therefore the son born to you will die.”
• Because by this deed you have given occasion to the nations around to blaspheme the Name of God, to scorn Jehovah.
• Therefore this consequence will come upon David – the child from the adultery will die. And the nations will see and understand God’s justice.
This is not a punishment for David’s sin.
• The rightful punishment for adultery is death, according to the Law (Lev 20:10, Deut 22:22).
• And the rightful penalty for murder is also death (Exo 21:12-14, Lev 24:17, 21).
• David deserves to die on TWO COUNTS, actually. That is rightful sentence.
But Nathan has made it very clear that God has forgiven him and “taken away” his sin.
• Jesus will pay the penalty of his sin and grant him forgiveness.
• But this consequence has to come to uphold God’s Name and show the nations the justice and discipline of God against sin.
“The son born to you will die,” Nathan declared (12:14). The child was stricken with a disease, and David pleaded with God.
• Not in one prayer, not for one day, but for SIX days. He fasted and prayed, spending the nights lying on the ground (12:16).
What do you do when your world crumbles?
• David PRAYS PASSIONATELY for God to relent, for God to show mercy.
Was he trying to fight God? Was he going against God’s will, when Nathan has already said that this child will die?
• NO, most likely not, because we read to the end of the story and we know his reaction to the death of the child. David wasn’t fighting God. He was pleading with God.
• David was praying passionately for mercy, asking God to relent, if that’s even possible.
He was praying the “Gethsemane” prayer. “Lord, if it is possible, let this child lives. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” (cf. Matt 26:39).
• Jesus knew God’s will too. He has come to the point at Gethsemane precisely because of God’s will. He was heading towards the cross and that’s how it would end.
• Yet he prayed, passionately, and overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death, the Gospel writers tell us.
• Finally Jesus said, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.” (Matt 26:42)
PRAY PASSIONATELY for the need of the moment! Plead for God’s grace and mercy.
• For how long? For as long as it takes. For as long as God’s answer is pending.
• David prayed every day for six days, until the seventh day and he stopped. He stopped because the child died.
• He prayed when there was still this opportunity. He prayed when there was still a chance that God might relent.
David said to the servants (12:22): “While the child was still live, I fasted and wept. I thought, ‘Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live.’”
• That’s right, WHO KNOWS? This is a sentiment that we can all identify with. “WHO KNOWS for sure? God might just be gracious to me and turn things around!”
• So if there is still a chance, we pray. We pray without ceasing (1 Thess 5:17) and we persevere in prayer (Luke 18 parable of the persistent widow).
Until? Until God’s answer comes. For David, that answer was a NO. The child died.
• It wasn’t an unanswered prayer. After six days of praying, God took the child.
• There are no unanswered prayers. All prayers are answered, with a Yes, No, or Wait (or silence). Even a NO may not be forever.
• Wait/silence means there’s nothing that you can do, remain status quo, and hang in there. You will understand later on. It is still an answer from God, just not in the way we want.
• So when people says, ‘God did not answer my prayer’ what it really means is, ‘God did not answer my prayer according to what I want, or how I want it.’
• It is not an unanswered prayer; it’s an answered prayer but not in the way I want.
When David got to know that the child has died, 12:20 he “got up from the ground. After he had washed, put on lotions and changed his clothes, he went into the house of the LORD and worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and at his request they served him food, and he ate.”
David SUBMITS ULTIMATELY to God. He accepted the death of the child as the sovereign will of God.
• In his passionate praying, he wasn’t fighting God or trying to go against God’s will. He was pleading for mercy.
• He recognised the sovereignty of God and that God still presides. He was not trying to force God or twist God’s arm into doing what he wants.
• Forcing God to do something is an IMPOSSIBILITY. If we can coerce God into doing something, we are greater than God. We will never, even by our passionate prayers, pressurise God into giving us what we want.
We are passionate, persistent and persevering in our prayers, pleading for God’s mercy and grace. We can be passionate and yet submissive to His will.
If Nathan has already said this child will die, then why even pray?
• David: “WHO KNOWS?” Who knows the outcome for sure? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live.” (12:22).
Jesus knew God’s will too and He prayed in Gethsemane, “If it is possible…” and then He said, “If it is not possible…”
• Both of them were not praying with defiant spirit. They were praying with hearts fully in SUBMISSION to God.
• They were praying with this in mind - NOT AS I WILL, BUT AS YOU WILL. “You decide, Lord. This is what I wish to see, this is what I am praying for, but YOU decide, Lord.”
• We submit to the sovereignty of God. But given the chance, we will pray.
When the answer comes, and if it is a NO and the child dies, we get up, wash our face, change our clothes, stop fasting and eat.
• No, that’s not exactly the order. David washed, put on lotions, changed, and then entered God’s house and WORSHIPPED Him!
TRUST COMPLETELY that God is good and He knows what He is doing.
• Psalm 51:4 - When He speaks, it is always right. And when He judge, it is always justified. He is unquestionably JUST. His justice is without a doubt.
David trusts that God is good and just, and He will do the right thing. That explains why his first response is to WORSHIP God. You cannot worship if you cannot trust.
• It’s quite amazing actually. He did not choose to eat first, even though he would be very hungry by now (having fasted for so many days).
• He chose to WORSHIP God. He did not worship because the child was healed. He did not worship because the child has recovered.
• David worship God for WHO He is. God has decided and this must be the best thing for him. God knows best. He trusts God completely.
• This is very difficult for many today, especially after receiving a NO answer from God. Most will be unhappy and probably angry.
• And we have lots of questions for God – why this, why not that. For some, they give up on God entirely. This is not a God worth believing.
You know why our faith wavers in times of trouble and sorrow? It is most likely because we have made God our servant.
• We expects Him to do this and that, to give us this and that, and when it didn’t come, we find Him to be “useless”. Why is He not helping me?
• When God becomes our servant, our agenda takes precedence over His. We care little about Him and His will. It’s all about me and my wants.
Seek Him and worship Him. Draw near to Him and lean on Him.
• Put Him back at the rightful place in our lives. He is still our God and He is sovereign. God knows what He is doing and we can trust Him.
• Whatever happens, the character of God has not changed.
• God I not our servant, we are His. He does not owe us anything, we owe Him everything.
God need not have to explain everything. He is not obligated to explain things to us.
• He has already revealed what we need to know and that’s enough for us to trust Him, worship Him and serve Him.
It is all the GRACE of God. Answers to our prayer comes by God’s grace.
• If God had spared David’s son, it would be by grace. If He did not, David could not have demanded it too, because God’s decision is not determined by his merit.
• God’s answer cannot be demanded or merited. His choice is by grace and it is His sovereign will. We trust Him fully.
When your world crumbles…
(1) Seek God passionately in prayer. Plead for mercy and ask for help.
(2) Come with an attitude of total submission to His will.
(3) Trust Him completely. Worship Him.
