David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly…

1 Chronicles 29:10

Sometimes it is good to step back and just focus on the Lord. We can get so caught up in what we are doing or what we think we should be doing, that we lose sight of what is most important. We can become too focused on what is going on in our own lives and how we feel that we forget that God is in control and that means something!! We can become almost obsessed at times with what we want God to do for us, that we neglect the most important. There is nothing wrong with praying for our wants that are in keeping with what God would want to do, but not when it becomes our only focus and at the expense of loving God for who He is.

David had it in his heart to build a temple for the Lord. He loved God with all his heart and wanted to do this for Him. Up to this point the Ark and the Presence of God resided in a tent. But God said he could not be the one to do it because he was a man of war and had shed blood. Instead God told David that it would be his son, Solomon that would build the temple.

Things were not going according to plan. At this point, David had a choice. Would he accept the word of the Lord or be upset? Would he get on board with God’s decision or mourn his loss of privilege? We see his response in 2 Samuel 7:18-29. David chose to rejoice in the promise of future blessing and God’s sovereignty rather than on God’s decision not to let him be the one to build the temple. He was more focused on what he would be getting in the future rather than what he wasn’t getting now. This is a good place to live. I didn’t say easy or automatic, but a response that is possible and made easier by our trust in the Almighty. Not only did David accept God’s plan, he got involved in His plan.

David summons all the officials of Israel to tell them the news. He hands the plans over to Solomon which were God inspired (1 Chronicles 29:19). He provides all the resources he has to give for the project and instructs any who are willing to give what they have. The leaders and officials give willingly and it is a cause for more rejoicing. This leads up to David’s prayer of praise:

Praise be to you, O Lord, God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Yours, O Lord, is

The greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.

1 Chronicles 29:11-13

David saw the beauty in praising God for who He is. His prayer was a prayer of praise. This was possible because he had an intimate relationship with God that was centered on God, not himself. He trusted Him completely! I confess, I am not all the way there yet. I know it in my head, but in real time, I am a work in progress. God has been bringing it up lately. I desire to have such an intimate relationship with God that it is second nature to trust Him immediately with everything in my life, even the disappointments and challenges. Even in the waiting. One of the ways this will happen is by praying prayers of praise to God for who He is.