The Habit of Going In and Sitting Before The Lord

When God said no to David’s request to build the temple, what did David do? He immediately sought the Lord. Instead of running away from God, David ran to God. In 2 Samuel 7:18 we see that “David the king went in and sat before the Lord”. David is my great example for quiet time with my Lord. Every day, I want my habit to be finding a quiet place and sitting before the Lord. This morning, as I read about David, I was so moved by all that happened as a result of David’s quiet time where he “went in and sat before the Lord.” First, he saw reality - the reality of who he was and who God is. He said, “Who am I, O LORD GOD…?” We need to adopt this regular phrase of David’s: “Who am I…” Those words keep our feet on solid ground, preventing pride and arrogance, and turn our eyes to the greatness and glory of God.

Then, when David sat before the Lord, he realized the activity of God in His life, and appreciated God’s promises to him. In verse 19 David said, “You have spoken also of the house of your servant concerning the distant future.” When our eyes turn to God’s promises, we will be strengthened and comforted in our current difficulty or challenge, whatever it may be.

David’s time with the Lord gave Him a greater sense of the Person and Presence of his God. He said, “Again, what more can David say to You? For You know Your servant, O LORD GOD.” To know He knows is one of the greatest truths you can ever experience in your walk with God. Knowing He knows brings front and center the reality of God in our lives. Walking down the hallway at the office where we work, knowing He knows assures us we do not walk alone. Feeding our kids in the morning, knowing He knows assures us of His constant protection and provision. Sitting in the hospital when a loved one is ill, knowing He knows assures of we do not face our trauma alone, and that we are in His watchful comfort and care. Take comfort today in the truth that He knows. And such truth becomes more apparent to us when we follow David’s example of going in and sitting before the Lord.

When David sat before the Lord, his view was filled with God, and he gained a greater vision of God. He said, “You are great, O LORD GOD, for there is none like You, and there is no God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears” (2 Samuel 7:22). Do you need a greater view of your God? Then, go in and sit with Him for awhile, open the pages of His Word and live there for a bit, and see if your view of God doesn’t increase! It will. Just this time with the Lord this morning has been such a blessing for me and has increased my view of Him.

When David spent time alone with the Lord, he realized God’s purpose and power in his life. He realized God’s redemption of His people, making them His people forever and becoming their God. We need a renewal of understanding God’s purpose in our own lives. That renewal fuels the fire of our devotion to the Lord and our commitment to serve Him. Where will that renewal come? In our quiet time alone with the Lord.

In his time with the Lord, David was given a new appreciation for God’s Word, and realized the value of His promises personally in his own life. He said, “Now therefore, O LORD GOD, the word that You have spoken concerning Your servant and his house, confirm it forever, and do as You have spoken.” Here David pleaded the promises of God for himself and his family. We must learn to do the same. I need to remember to find those promises, embrace them, trust them, and then live them out in my own life. Our quiet time will help us realize, as David did, “Now, O LORD GOD, You are God, and Your words are truth, and You have promised this good thing to Your servant” (2 Samuel 7:28).

David’s passion for God was increased once he went in and sat before the Lord. He told God that he wanted God’s name to be magnified forever (verse 26). It’s an incredible day when your passion for God is set on fire. You will develop a zeal for the Lord and you will shine for Him. I remember many years ago, when I first got involved with Campus Crusade at Arizona State University. I was just beginning to study the Word and learn what it meant to follow Jesus. And I can just say that the Lord set my heart on fire. I saw that there was nothing so exciting as seeing lives changed for Christ, including my own. And that passion increases through time alone with the Lord.

David’s prayer life got deeper and more powerful as a result of his time with the Lord. He said, “Your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you.” Have you found that new courage to pray to the Lord? I have found that when I sit with the Lord I have a new boldness to talk with Him and ask Him for great and mighty things. I’ve been asking Him for some pretty big things lately - it’s kind of scary but still I’m going for it. I’m adopting the attitude of David seen in Psalm 5:3 “In the morning, O LORD, You will hear my voice; In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch.”

Finally, as a result of David’s time with the Lord, he was led to renew his commitment to serve the Lord forever and to ask for something BIG - God’s blessing forever. With eternity in view, may I faithfully serve the Lord, and may He pour out His blessings on all of us. God bless you and to God be the glory both now and forever (Eph 3:20).