David’s Prayer of Thanks

I Chronicles 17:16–27
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This chapter dealing with David’s ambition to build a worship center for the Lord and the Lord’s response and promise concerning it is almost identical to 2 Samuel 7:1-29. Expressing a desire to provide the Lord with a temple was right, but his timing was wrong. David went into the tent he had set up for the Ark of the Covenant and sat down to talk to the Lord (v. 16).

David began by telling the Lord he didn’t deserve all He had done for him and what He had promised to do for his descendants (vv. 17-19). He said the Lord was treating him as a VIP when he was just His servant. He expressed how He alone was God and there was no other God like Him (v. 20).  

He went on to say that there was no other nation on earth like Israel, the nation He rescued from slavery in Egypt (v. 21). He stated how the Lord had chosen Israel to be His special people forever and He had become their God (v. 22). David then asked the Lord to do what he had promised for him and his descendants so that the people would then recognize how powerful a God He really was (vv. 23-27). David knew his kingdom would be strong because God had promised to bless his descendants forever.

Application

When God told David not to build a temple (vv. 3-4) he was willing to abide by God’s timing. If I have my mind made up to do a particular thing (perhaps to buy a new car) but circumstances are against me (I must borrow money) perhaps God wants me to wait awhile. I need to be willing to move according to God’s timing.