Read: 2 Samuel 12:15b-23

David therefore pleaded with God for the child; David fasted, and went in and lay all night on the ground. (v. 16 NRSV)

Any father would pray with a broken heart over his dangerously sick child. King David was no exception–even for this baby, the son of an unholy union. David fathered the child in an act of reckless arrogance, which he then tried to cover up with lies and murder. Yet David loved this baby and pleaded with God for its life, still so full of potential. His sorrow for his sin was great. His love for his child was equally great. And so his prayer to God scraped all the way down to the very bottom of his soul.

But God did not answer David’s prayer, at least not in the way David so urgently desired. His little boy, nameless in the story, died. The very first thing David then did was to get up and worship God. Even in his terrible grief, he remained connected to God.

There are times in our lives when we know David as a brother in pain and sorrow. He is also a traveler with us under God’s mercy, no matter what our circumstances. –Leanne Van Dyk

Prayer: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and sustain in me a willing spirit.

Words of Hope is an international media ministry, founded and owned by classes of the RCA, dedicated to building the church in the hard places. The Words of Hope devotional encourages readers to grow spiritually through daily Bible readings and prayer. To subscribe, please visit: woh.org/word/devotionals/.