You’re forgiven. So, now what; what do you do now? That’ worth asking, for the Christian life doesn’t end with forgiveness. That’s where it begins. So, what do you do now?
And so we ponder our Old Testament reading. But that reading begins where we usually end the story of King David and Bathsheba. Earlier, King David had stayed home instead of leading his troops during a time of war. One evening, he saw Bathsheba bathing and commanded her to come and see him. What could she do? David was the king. Her husband was fighting on the frontlines.
David then had his way with her, and she became pregnant. So, David schemed to have Bathsheba’s husband murdered–all the while making it look like a normal casualty of war. It was then that God’s Prophet, Nathan, confronted the King. David admitted his sin and cried out for forgiveness–and Nathan absolved him. So, David is forgiven, now what?
Here, is where the story gets hard to take. Yes, David was forgiven. But the Lord said that David’s son was still going to die. This was the son conceived while David was defying God, when he was having an illicit affair with another man’s wife.
Yes, David was forgiven, but his son was still going to die. So, now what? Pray; and David did so for a week. While praying, “he fasted and spent the night sleeping on the ground” (2 Samuel 12:16). He would not get up or eat. He was praying for his sick son, pleading for the boy’s life.
You and I can learn something here. When we run into the hard knocks of life, we often tell our friends, family, and many others about those problems. And then, after telling everyone else, it then occurs to us to mention these matters to the Lord.
In other words, we turn to God in desperation (“I’ve tried everything else!”) or resignation (“Prayer couldn’t hurt!”). Yet, when we pray that way, faith isn’t leading; unbelief is. We should go to God as the first resort, not the last.
You might say, “I know what God has promised. And I know that I should pray for those blessings, trusting in God.” But eventually, every Christian finds himself praying for something that God has not promised. And to those prayers we should add, “Thy will be done,” just like we pray in the Lord’s Prayer, right?
That was David’s lot. He was praying for something that God had not promised him. He was going out on a limb. Even more, David was begging God to change His mind on something He had already declared would take place. David was pleading that God would spare his son’s life.
But God was not going to relent. He said, “No” to David’s prayers. And so David’s son died. Now, what would David do? What would you do?
Would David lash out in anger at God? Would he walk away from God? Would he plummet into the depths of despair, doubting if God had forgiven him, for real? Would David become mentally unbalanced? After all, his son has just died.
His servants especially worried about David losing his mind. They saw how badly he reacted to the news that his son was ill. What then of his death? How, then could they ever break the news that his son had died? Well, they didn’t have to break the news. David guessed why they were whispering among themselves.
But then David did something unusual. He got up off the ground, washed himself, changed his clothes, went to the tabernacle to worship, and then went home to eat.
No, David hadn’t lost his mind. David wasn’t rebelling against God or doubting His forgiveness. David knew that he had gone out on a limb with his prayer, but he also knew that God wasn’t sawing off that limb. In faith, He had a strong grasp of eternal realities. David was acting as a man living in God’s forgiveness.
So, David is forgiven, now what? David was forgiven for the same reason that you are, the same reason that anyone in the world is forgiven: because of Jesus. That’s why David could act as he did. He was seeing life through the lens of the promised Messiah, his Descendant and Lord, who forgives by bearing the sins of all people. And so He knew that his son’s death did not mean that God hadn’t forgiven him.
That’s why David also knew that he could go out on that limb in his prayers. He could pray and ask God to change His mind. A child can ask that of his father, knowing that even if his dad says “no,” he will not be disowned for asking.
Jesus our Savior gives us the confidence–yes, even boldness–to approach God and call him “Father.” Since Christ is our Brother, we have been adopted as children of our heavenly Father. Our prayers rise to the throne of God standing on our Lord Jesus and what He has done for us by His life, death, and resurrection.
David told his servants what had been going on.
“While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept because I thought, ‘Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let him live.’ But now that he is dead, why should I go on fasting? Can I bring him back? No. I will go to where he is, but he won’t come back to me” (2 Samuel 12:22-23).
David was confessing his faith that his son was alive with God in eternity. He looked forward to being reunited with his son. He believed in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. No matter what happened in this world, David knew that his heartfelt yearnings in prayer would be more than answered in eternity.
So, pray! You know God’s heart toward you, because of His Son Jesus, is filled with forgiveness and kindness. God wants the best for you. So, ask for that in prayer. Yet, realize that you may not know what is best for you, especially from the view of eternity. We need so much, starting with the forgiveness of our sins. So, ask for it.
Consider the Lord’s Prayer. That prayer isn’t teaching us to be selfish or self-centered when it offers one petition after another. Through that prayer, and others like it, in Holy Spirit-created faith, we learn to recognize that God is God.
But what about when you pray for something that you know that God has not promised you? It’s then that, being like David you go out on a limb!
Our Old Testament reading has a few suggestions about such prayers. First, don’t hesitate to pray them. Our heavenly Father wants to hear from His children. Second, if you don’t get what you’re asking for, or in the way you want it, don’t get angry with God or assume that He is angry with you. David didn’t do that.
And third, like David, focus on what is sure and true. Focus on what God has promised, starting with the forgiveness of sins. When you go out on a limb and pray for something that God has not specifically promised you, pray for it with what you know God also wants you to have.
How does that work? Let’s say you are praying for a new car. Are you asking that from your sinful self, the new self given you in your baptism, or both? Sometimes, you can’t say. So, if you are praying for a new car, ask for it in a way where it will only help further God’s will in your life. Pray that you can more faithfully do what He has given you to do and live as He has called you to live. In other words, always pray that God’s will is done. That, after all, is praying in Jesus’ name.
When you connect what you ask for in that way, that helps you to see life in a better perspective. It may even help you to realize how God is upholding you in life–even when He says, “No” to that new car. In other words, when you go out on a limb in prayer, make sure that limb is well-connected to the Tree of Life!
So, you’re forgiven, now what? Pray, especially as you go, in faith, to the Lord who sent His Son to save you. Pray–not because of what you may or may not get–but because of what the Lord gives–the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. Amen.
