What does David's response teach about accepting God's will after prayer? Setting the Scene David has sinned, Nathan has confronted him, and God has announced the death of the child (2 Samuel 12:14). Yet David still prays and fasts until the child dies. Immediately afterward we hear his words: “While the child was alive, I fasted and wept; for I thought, ‘Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me and let the child live.’ ” (2 Samuel 12:22) David’s Two-Phase Response • Phase 1 — Pleading: earnest fasting, weeping, and prayer while the outcome is still undisclosed. • Phase 2 — Peaceful Acceptance: instant worship and renewed living once God’s answer is clear (vv. 20, 23). What His Response Teaches about Accepting God’s Will • Hopeful petition is right and good. David believed in a compassionate God who might relent (“Who knows?”). • Submission follows revelation. When God’s decision becomes evident, resistance ceases; obedience replaces argument. • Worship is the proper posture after an unwanted answer. David “went into the house of the LORD and worshiped” (v. 20). • Grief does not cancel trust. He mourns honestly, yet trusts fully. • Faith looks forward, not backward: “I will go to him” (v. 23) shows confidence in God’s future grace. Echoes in the Rest of Scripture • Job 1:20-22—Job tears his robe yet proclaims, “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” • Matthew 26:39—Jesus prays, “Yet not as I will, but as You will,” embodying perfect submission. • Philippians 4:6-7—Prayer with thanksgiving is followed by “the peace of God.” • 1 John 5:14-15—Confidence that “if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” Practical Takeaways for Today • Pray boldly while the door of possibility remains open. • Receive God’s final answer—yes, no, or wait—with immediate obedience. • Move from petition to praise; worship steadies the heart. • Anchor hope in eternity; God’s ultimate plans eclipse present losses. |
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