Spend time in prayer and silence with God asking him to meet you and speak to you.
Bible Reading
…And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord, the child who is born to you shall die.” Then Nathan went to his house.
And the Lord afflicted the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and he became sick. David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground. And the elders of his house stood beside him, to raise him from the ground, but he would not, nor did he eat food with them. On the seventh day the child died…
And David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” They said, “He is dead.” Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And 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 he was alive; but when the child died, you arose and ate food.” He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that 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 12:13b-23
Devotion
Sin has consequences. It may seem unfair that an innocent child seems to have been punished for the sins of David, but David had utterly scorned the Lord, and the child’s death was a result of that sin. David could have easily turned his back on God and despised him but, instead, we see David clean himself up, get dressed and go worship God.
In a similar manner, Jesus was punished for sins that he did not commit. He willingly paid the price for our sins by dying on a cross in order to bear the penalty of our disobedience. When we experience difficult times, we can remember that Jesus himself also experienced rejection, unfair treatment, torture, scorn, humiliation, loss, and death as the consequence of our sin. What a great God we serve, and how far He is willing to go to show us His love, even when times are tough!
The Big Question
David repeatedly “sinned big.” However, each time he eventually turned toward the Lord. When difficult circumstances happen in your life, do you move closer or farther away from God? When you experience the consequences of sin (those of yourself and others), how can you turn toward the Lord and move toward him?
Conclude in prayer and silence reflecting on what you’ve learned.