Bible reading: 2 Samuel 12:1-25
22 David said, “While the baby was still alive, I fasted, and I cried. I thought, ‘Who knows? Maybe the Lord will feel sorry for me and let the baby live.’ 23 But now that the baby is dead, why should I fast? I can’t bring him back to life. Someday I will go to him, but he cannot come back to me.” (New Century Version – NCV)
Anytime I read this passage, I am astounded by David’s reaction to his son’s death. After fasting, praying and pleading with God to save his son, he received a report from his servants that his son had died. That must have been disappointing and heartbreaking. But rather than accusing God of a lack of mercy, he went to the temple and worshipped him! WORSHIPED! Even his servants were shocked by this reaction and questioned his actions (they probably thought he had lost it at that point lol). But his response was just as unexpected as his actions. It was like he instantly skipped all six stages of grief to the final step of acceptance, which highlights his spiritual maturity. David is known in the bible as a man after God’s heart, and with all he had experienced in his journey with God (which I encourage you to read), I am pretty sure that he had a better understanding of who God was than most around him. But in addition to his knowledge of God, it’s clear that he also had a very close relationship with God which is desired by most Christians today. David lived a life of great faith, which led to miraculous victories (see the story of David and Goliath 1 Samuel 17), yet when he prayed for the healing of his son, it was denied, which must have been incredibly disappointing.
In life, we are bound to experience disappointment, and as Christians, we must accept that just because God can give us all that we ask for doesn’t mean He always will. Remember that God will only give us what we ask for if it is according to His will! (1 John 5:14 “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us “). At times, the denial of our prayers can be difficult to handle and even harder to believe it is for our best (Jer 29:11). However, if we focus more on the loss of what we asked for, and how that makes us feel, rather than worshipping God for who He is and all He has done for us, we are bound to distance ourselves from God. It can be tempting to blame God when faced with disappointment and seek solace in the things of this world like drugs, drinks, porn etc. But the greatest deceit of the devil is to believe that these things will give lasting comfort when in reality, they drive us to a deeper state of depression and sin.
Only God is our source of strength and relief (see Psalm 46:1–3, Isaiah 40:29-31, Isaiah 41:10, Proverbs 18:10), and when we cut off from God, we become susceptible to all the negativity that life has to offer (e.g. depression and a loss of identity). Now that I think about it, I believe that David’s act of worship created an avenue for God to give him the strength to accept His decision and not fall into the downward spiral of depression, sin, hatred for God, self-loathing and all the other common reactions we see today.
So when you face disappointment, I want to encourage you all to run to God in worship and prayer rather than away from Him. Cry out and cling to Him, and let him strengthen you and give you peace so that you don’t fall into despair. Encourage yourself in the Lord as David did in 1 Samuel 30:6, and remember that God’s plan gives us HOPE and a FUTURE even when it doesn’t feel like it.
1 Samuel 30:6 – David was greatly distressed, for the men spoke of stoning him because the souls of them all were bitterly grieved, each man for his sons and daughters. But David encouraged and strengthened himself in the Lord his God.
