Praying alongside King David

This morning, I was so struck by David's prayer in 2 Samuel 7, as he overwhelmedly received all the promises of God and tries to wrap his mind around Yahweh's choosing of him. To me, with just a few slight changes, it's a perfect prayer to celebrate our chosenness by Jesus, and the power of all we inherit through Him. What a way to prepare to start off the New Year with gratitude!

Consider both prayers, side by side:

The Original - from 2 Samuel 7

“Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? And as if this were not enough in your sight, Sovereign Lord, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant—and this decree, Sovereign Lord, is for a mere human!
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“What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, Sovereign Lord. For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant.

“How great you are, Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. And who is like your people Israel—the one nation on earth that God went out to redeem as a people for himself, and to make a name for himself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations and their gods from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt? You have established your people Israel as your very own forever, and you, Lord, have become their God.
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“And now, Lord God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised, so that your name will be great forever. Then people will say, ‘The Lord Almighty is God over Israel!’ And the house of your servant David will be established in your sight.
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“Lord Almighty, God of Israel, you have revealed this to your servant, saying, ‘I will build a house for you.’ So your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you.Sovereign Lord, you are God! Your covenant is trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant. Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, Sovereign Lord, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever.”

Our (nearly) New Year's Prayer

​“Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my life, that you have brought me this far? And as if this were not enough in your sight, Sovereign Lord, you have also spoken about the eternal life of your servant — and this salvation, Sovereign Lord, is for a mere human!

“What more can I say to you? For you know your servant, Sovereign Lord. For the sake of your Word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant.

“How great you are, Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. And who is like your Body — the one gathering on earth that God went out to redeem as a people for himself, and to make a name for himself, and to perform great and awesome wonders both in and also through? You have established your Body, your Church, as your very own forever, and you, Lord, have become their God.
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“And now, Lord God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and your Body, your Church. Do as you promised, so that your name will be great forever. Then people will say, ‘The Lord Almighty is God over the Body!’ And the house of your Church will be established in your sight.
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“Lord Almighty, God of the whole Church, you have revealed this to your servant, saying, ‘I will make you one of my Living Stones, part of my eternal house.’ So your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. Sovereign Lord, you are God! Your New covenant is trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant and to your Church. Now be pleased to indwell your servant, that I may continue forever in your sight; for you, Sovereign Lord, have spoken, and with your blessing the temple that is your servant will be blessed forever.”