1 Samuel 16
David is anointed to be king.
INSIGHT
David is indeed an outstanding individual. As a teenager, he is known to be "skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and the Lord is with him" (v. 18). In each of these things, David is not just lucky. David works hard at all the things for which he is known, including the fact that "the Lord is with him." Each of us has been given talents and abilities. Like David, if we are to achieve our God-given potential, we must be slaves to the things that advance those abilities.
PRAYER
Offer your praise to the Lord that we are the objects of His tender mercies and powerful leading:
You have dealt well with Your servant,
O Lord, according to Your word.
Teach me good judgment and knowledge,
For I believe Your commandments.
Before I was afflicted I went astray,
But now I keep Your word.
You are good, and do good;
Teach me Your statutes (Psalm 119:65-68).
Pause for personal praise and thanksgiving.
Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
Unto You I lift up my eyes,
O You who dwell in the heavens.
Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters,
As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,
So our eyes look to the Lord our God,
Until He has mercy on us (Psalm 123:1-3).
Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind.
Now pray this affirmation to the Lord:
Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy;
love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;
does not behave rudely, does not seek its own,
is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity,
but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).
As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:
greater trust in God's sovereignty,
the spiritual condition of our national leaders,
your activities for the day.
Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:
Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy,
That we may rejoice and be glad all our days! (Psalm 90:14).
