David's prayer begins:
Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far?We discussed this prayer to God--not really dialogue, as we pointed out--looking at its pattern: of exuberant thanks, deference and humility, and ending with David's insistence that God fulfill his covenant with God's people. We discussed the possibility of praying in this way; many people said that their prayers are "get to the point" prayers. We found it interesting that David rehearses Salvation History--God's work in this world through the events of history, before he makes his request of God. Others mentioned that their prayers are likely to contain praise and thanks only, without making specific requests as David does here:
And now, O Lord God, as for the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, confirm it forever; do as you have promised. 26Thus your name will be magnified forever in the saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is God over Israel’; and the house of your servant David will be established before you. 27For you, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house’; therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you.David was anointed as a boy and now he finds himself in the position of king, but perplexed over his direction. He points out that he has fulfilled God's will for him and is asking God to reveal God's part of the covenant to establish the House of David. We noted, as we have with the previous Old Testament prayers, that this one, while beginning on a personal level, expands beyond self into a prayer for all of Israel.
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