One of the great prayers of the Bible comes from a man who, though deeply flawed, loved the Lord deeply. David wanted to build a house for God, but the Lord denied him that request and instead promised that He would build a house for David. David was thinking of a physical temple for God. But  God meant more than a physical house for him, since David already had one of those. The Lord was thinking about a lineage, a royal dynasty (i.e. “the house of David”) that would result in the coming of Jesus Christ.

David’s prayer in response is amazing, for it is all about God and the immense gratitude for such undeserved favor toward him. We would do well to study the heart and depth of this prayer and adapted, making it our own. Truly, this is a man “after God’s own heart.”

2 Samuel chapter 7
¹⁸Then David the king went in and sat before the Lord, and he said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far? ¹⁹And yet this was insignificant in Your eyes, O Lord God, for You have spoken also of the house of Your servant concerning the distant future. And this is the custom of man, O Lord God.

²⁰“Again what more can David say to You? For You know Your servant, O Lord God! ²¹For the sake of Your word, and according to Your own heart, You have done all this greatness to let Your servant know. ²²For this reason You are great, O Lord God; for there is none like You, and there is no God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

²³ “And what one nation on the earth is like Your people Israel, whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people and to make a name for Himself, and to do a great thing for You and awesome things for Your land, before Your people whom You have redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, from nations and their gods? ²⁴For You have established for Yourself Your people Israel as Your own people forever, and You, O Lord, have become their God.

²⁵“Now therefore, O Lord God, the word that You have spoken concerning Your servant and his house, confirm it forever, and do as You have spoken, ²⁶that Your name may be magnified forever, by saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is God over Israel’; and may the house of Your servant David be established before You.’

²⁷“For You, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have made a revelation to Your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house’; therefore Your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to You. ²⁸Now, O Lord God, You are God, and Your words are truth, and You have promised this good thing to Your servant. ²⁹Now therefore, may it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue forever before You. For You, O Lord God, have spoken; and with Your blessing may the house of Your servant be blessed forever.”