God is Great

2 Samuel 7:22 KJV:
Wherefore thou art great, O Lord God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

A background to today's text will do us good. David was a man who enjoyed the limitless grace of God in all ramifications. He was a man who, despite all his shortcomings, knew how to get back into God's good books. His C.V included murder, adultery and conspiracy, grave sins for which he deserved death. But unlike many of us today, when he was confronted with his sin, rather than rationalising, he repented wholeheartedly. He gave no excuses; he just gave himself to God wholeheartedly. No wonder then, that God called him a man after his own heart.

This context shows David planning to build a magnificent temple for God. Plans had been made and the materials had been provided. God said No. God even went as far as reminding David of some of the things he had done wrong and the innocent blood he had shed, which disqualified him from building that temple. Rather than complain and murmur, David accepted and still coined the words of the focal text quoted above. Are there not many of us who seek to do great things for God, yet it appears there's no help from God in that regard? When God disrupts our best-laid plans, do we accept it or do we grumble? Can God take our attention away from what we think is proper and fix us on the things that matter?  Can we still praise God when everything has gone south, our best plans have been battered and our hopes seem shattered? Will God still remain God in our lives when things don't look too good?

As I ponder on the words above, I see a man who has made up his mind to praise God, no matter what circumstances around him dictate. Praising God isn't a matter of emotions or circumstances; it happens in spite of circumstances. It is easy to praise God when everything is easy and calm and all our plans are being backed up by God's action. Our reactions when things are not going well is the true test of the quality of our faith.

A fundamental lesson: God forgives and forgets our confessed sin; the problem is with the consequences of that sin. David was forgiven but the results of his sin led to a break in his own, adultery in his own house and a constant battle for succession to the throne after David's death. Yet, the mercy of God was evident. The product of the 'marriage' of David and Bathsheba became the next king after David. All of God's promises came to pass in the life of Solomon, so much so that Solomon was the only king of Israel who never had to fight a single war, except for the war to control his own raging emotions and his household.

God is a God of mercy and love. His power is awesome yet humane. His judgements are true yet tinged with mercy and love. His grace is available for all who will take advantage. Indeed, there's none like him. Praise God today, for his time of favour has come.