Spend time in prayer and silence with God asking him to meet you and speak to you.
Bible Reading
The Lord sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, “There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.
“Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare for a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.”
David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die! He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.”
– 2 Samuel 12:1-6
Devotion
Prophets like Nathan were required to confront sin, even the sin of a king such as David. This must have been a difficult and delicate task which took skill, courage and profound tact to speak to someone with the nobility of a King. Nathan had to do this in such a way that would make David aware of his wrong actions. This happened a full year after the original sin. By then David had become so insensitive to his own sins that he didn’t even realize he was the villain in Nathan’s story. Like Nathan, we may need to confront someone with difficult and unpleasant news. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to give us the skill, courage and the proper tone if we want that person to respond in a way that is constructive and God honoring. How you present the needed message may be just as important as the words you say.
The Big Question
Have you had to take news to a friend or family member that is difficult lately? Did you play the words you were going to use over and over in your mind? Did you ask the Holy Spirit to guide you every step of the way? How are those relationships now that the initial confrontation is over? Truth can be difficult to bring to a loved one but the power of forgiveness and restoration are absolutely priceless!
Conclude in prayer and silence reflecting on what you’ve learned.