Heavenly Father, thank you for another day amidst your blessings and your glory. Thank you for blessings that don’t seem like blessings to us at the moment. Thank you for reminding me to not be concerned when I forget something (like the third sentence of this prayer) but DO be concerned with hardening my heart. Thank you for speaking to us, for holding us close, for never leaving us. Thank you for the godly people you had intersect with me on my journey. Thank you for your loving daughter whom I lift up to you this day in prayer with the scriptures you gave me:

First, an overview of how David was righteous always, except in the case of Bathsheba and Uriah the Hittite:

Because David did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. (1 Kings 15:5)

But being righteous “most of the time” was not what God wants, as seen by how Nathan the prophet spoke to David in reference to his adulterous relations with Bathsheba and the killing of Uriah:

And the Lord sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him,

There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor. The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds: But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter.

And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man’s lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him.

And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die: And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.

And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; And I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things. Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.

Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.

Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.

And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord.

And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die. (2 Samuel 12: 1-14)

Define blasphemy: The act of reviling, ridiculing, or being disrespectful or irreverent of, by words or conduct, God, religion, a religious doctrine, a religious icon, or anything considered sacred.

Lord, I’m here to begin a new prayer for your daughter Lindsey, who loves you very much. Lindsey, this is a difficult scripture to pray for you, but it seems like it is the one God gave me for this day. This scripture refers to prophet Nathan telling David that what he had done was bad, very bad! However, the very last sentence speaks of how his actions, while bad in themselves, were even worse because the others nations had watched what he had done and now, because of it, were ridiculing and reviling his God. And so I pray for you now Lindsey. God has gifted you with great talent and skill. He also has showered you with his favor day after day after day. I pray that in addition to all the talent, skill and favor that the Lord would grant you great wisdom and discernment so that you can always be a shining light to the world and never give anyone cause to revile or ridicule our God because of something you do. If even David, the man after God’s own heart can do such things, it seems that none of us can consider ourselves exempt from possibly behaving in an equally bad manner. I pray that God would protect you from the evil one who wants to destroy you. I pray that God would always surround you with godly people who will help you stay on solid ground. I pray that all you do will bring glory to God, for the glory all goes to him. All the glory is to God. I pray this in the name and authority of Christ Jesus, King of kings.  Amen

(more…)