Topical Bible: Prayer: David

◄ Prayer: David ►

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David, the second king of Israel, is renowned not only for his leadership and military prowess but also for his deep and personal relationship with God, as evidenced through his prayers. His life, as recorded in the Old Testament, provides a rich tapestry of prayerful communication with God, reflecting a wide range of human emotions and spiritual insights.

Prayer as Worship and Praise

David's prayers often take the form of worship and praise, acknowledging God's majesty and faithfulness. The Book of Psalms, many of which are attributed to David, is a testament to his heart of worship. In Psalm 8:1 , David exclaims, "O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory above the heavens." This psalm, like many others, reflects David's awe and reverence for God's creation and sovereignty.

Prayer in Times of Distress

David frequently turned to prayer during times of distress and danger. His life was marked by numerous challenges, including persecution by King Saul, betrayal by close associates, and personal failures. In Psalm 18:6 , David writes, "In my distress I called upon the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From His temple He heard my voice, and my cry for His help reached His ears." This prayer illustrates David's reliance on God as his refuge and deliverer.

Prayer of Repentance

One of the most profound examples of David's prayer life is his prayer of repentance following his sin with Bathsheba. In Psalm 51, David pours out his heart in contrition, seeking God's mercy and forgiveness. Psalm 51:10 captures the essence of his plea: "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." This prayer highlights the depth of David's remorse and his desire for spiritual renewal.

Prayer for Guidance and Wisdom

David also sought God's guidance and wisdom through prayer. As a leader, he recognized the importance of divine direction in his decisions. In 2 Samuel 5:19 , before engaging in battle with the Philistines, David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?" The LORD's affirmative response underscores the importance David placed on seeking God's will.

Prayer of Thanksgiving

David's prayers often included expressions of thanksgiving, acknowledging God's provision and blessings. In 1 Chronicles 29:10-13 , during the assembly for the temple preparations, David offers a prayer of thanksgiving: "Blessed are You, O LORD, the God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the splendor and the majesty, for everything in heaven and on earth is Yours." This prayer reflects David's gratitude and recognition of God's sovereignty over all things.

Prayer for Justice and Deliverance

David's prayers also reveal his desire for justice and deliverance from his enemies. In Psalm 7:1 , he prays, "O LORD my God, I take refuge in You; save me and deliver me from all my pursuers." Such prayers demonstrate David's trust in God's righteous judgment and his reliance on divine intervention.

Prayer as a Model for Believers

David's prayer life serves as a model for believers, illustrating the importance of maintaining a personal and dynamic relationship with God. His prayers encompass a full range of human experience, from joy and gratitude to sorrow and repentance, offering a template for how believers can approach God in every circumstance. Through his prayers, David exemplifies a heart that seeks after God, as described in Acts 13:22 , where God testifies, "I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart; he will do all My will."

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2 Samuel 12:22,23
And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether GOD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?
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Library

David's Dying Prayer
... David's Dying Prayer. A Sermon (No.129). ... But David intended this prayer in another
sense. "Let the whole earth be filled with his glory. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 3 1857/davids dying prayer.htm

David's Gratitude
... Here, too, we may note the two instances, in this verse, of what runs through the
whole prayer,"David's avoidance of using 'I.' Except in the lowly 'What am I ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/davids gratitude.htm

David's Sin.
... And David wrote a prayer of repentance for his sin. It is the fifty-first Psalm,
and has been the prayer of penitent souls for nearly three thousand years. ...
/.../lathbury/childs story of the bible/chapter xxiv davids sin.htm

The Psalms of David
... Prayer and faith of persecuted saints; or, Imprecations mixed with charity. ... Second
Part. Love to enemies; or, The love of Christ to sinners typified in David. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watts/the psalms of david/

Prayer Takes in the Whole Man
... earth. Body, soul and spirit are taxed and brought under tribute to prayer.
David Brainerd makes this record of his praying: "God ...
/.../bounds/the essentials of prayer/i prayer takes in the.htm

David's Cry for Purity
... That is what David longs for in this prayer; and the connection of these two meanings
of the word is worth pointing out in a sermon, for the sake of the great ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture j/davids cry for purity.htm

A Prayer for Pardon and Its Plea
... Thousands of years have passed since David, if he was the Psalmist, offered this
prayer; and you and I can look back to the blessed old story of his forgiveness ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture j/a prayer for pardon and.htm

"And Watch unto Prayer. "
... He lived the natural life of a Christian by faith. So David says, "I gave myself
unto prayer," he opposes this unto all that his enemies do against him. ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon xxi and watch unto.htm

David's Cry for Pardon
... How David thinks of forgiveness. As the words for sin expressed a threefold view
of the burden from which the Psalmist seeks deliverance, so the triple prayer, ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture j/davids cry for pardon.htm

The Essence of Prayer.
... promise to Zacharias: "And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the ... Lord
Jesus, come quickly." Upon closer examination, it appears that prayer can not ...
/.../kuyper/the work of the holy spirit/xxxix the essence of prayer.htm