“Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and said, ‘Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that thou hast brought me thus far? And yet this was a small thing in thy eyes, O Lord God; thou hast spoken also of thy servant’s house for a great while to come, and hast shown me future generations, O Lord God! And what more can David say to thee? For thou knowest thy servant, O Lord God!’” (2 Samuel 7:18-20) Many times I have referred to King David’s heart. Here is a prime example of why the Lord loved him. David was finally on the throne over all of Israel and Judah and desired nothing more than a way to honor the God who had brought him from shepherd to king: to build a house for the ark of the covenant. Instead, the Lord told him it would be David’s house that would be established forever. Can we imagine hearing that for ourselves? What would be our reaction? Would it be, “I earned it,” or “I don’t deserve it?”

You see, David understood God’s grace and power. His faith stood on these traits. He would seek God’s advice in battle and would be victorious because of it. So now that David had been told not to do what he most desired, he didn’t dwell on the “no” but saw the wonder in the “yes.” He recalled his humble beginnings, all the things life had thrown at him. Still and yet, his God had promised him a kingdom that would live forever. God said it, and he believed it.

Let us all seek to be more like this David. Let us stop right now and think about how blessed we are that God’s loving grace has brought us to this very point in time. He has walked beside us, even carried us when we were perhaps farthest from Him. He has sheltered us from many things that we know nothing about. Have we been on our knees to give Him thanks, to cry out our thanksgiving, to bless His holy name for choosing to save us? Have we, like David, asked, “Why me, Lord? Who am I that You have made me so very special in Your sight?”