I Shall Go To Him

 

David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” Nathan said to David, “Now the LORD has put away your sin; you shall not die. Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the LORD, the child that is born to you shall die.’ Then Nathan went to his house.

 

The LORD struck the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, it became very ill. David therefore pleaded with God for the child; David fasted, and went in and lay all night on the ground. The elders of his house stood beside him, urging him to rise from the ground; but he would not, nor did he eat food with them. On the seventh day the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead; for they said, “While the child was still alive, we spoke to him, and he did not listen to us; how then can we tell him the child is dead? He may do himself some harm.” But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, he perceived that the child was dead; and David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” They said, “He is dead.”

 

Then David rose from the ground, washed, anointed himself, and changed his clothes. He went into the house of the LORD, and worshiped; he then went to his own house; and when he asked, they set food before him and he ate. Then his servants said to him, “What is this thing that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while it was alive; but when the child died, you rose and ate food.” He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me, and the child may live.’ But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.”

 

2 Samuel 12:13-23

 

When our children are small there are times when we tell them, no. We have to teach them that they can’t get their way all the time. Such it was with David. He had sinned by having a child with Uriah’s wife. He even had Uriah killed. But the child died of the unholy union.

 

God forgave David, but there were consequences to the actions David took. David admitted his guilt to Nathan. David was forgiven. The child died. Instead of behaving like a demanding child and being angry with God, David got up, washed, changed his clothes and ate.

 

In times of difficulty or loss, we should seek God’s help and deliverance. But we must still trust Him if He does not answer our prayers the way we want Him to.

 

In His will is our peace.

 

Our Daily BreadMay 10, 2005