2 Samuel 22

2 Samuel 22

I have noticed in my prayer life before that there was one major problem in the way that I prayed. I was really good at asking God for many different things, whether it be for healing of someone who was sick, help in a tough situation I was currently in, or just general requests about life. However, one thing that I neglected to do was praise God for the many gifts He had given me. Or when a prayer request was answered, I would forget to thank Him for helping me out in that situation. Our prayer lives should not consist of just making a list of requests to God. If we truly have a relationship with Him and desire to get to know Him better, then that is not the way to communicate with Him. If someone were to ask us for various things constantly, and that was the extent of their conversations with us, I do not think we would want to keep that friendship. After a while, it would get annoying as there would be no substance to the relationship. In the same way, we should not be so limited in our prayer life. We should talk with God, which requires listening to Him as well. We can still ask for help and guidance, for He wants to be there for us, but we must also learn to not limit our prayers to only requests.


In 2 Samuel 22 we see a song from David explaining how he went to God in his time of need, one of the many times in which he had been pursued by his enemies. While David initially went to God asking for help (deliverance), he later returned to God with a spirit of thanksgiving and praise. He took the time to sit and think back on all God had done for him, how God had protected him and delivered him. Remembering God’s provision led David to a spirit of thankfulness for all God had done, and he made a point to thank God.

This song also shows how God looks out for those who follow Him. David mentions that he was a righteous man and had followed the commands of the Lord. As a result, God was sure to look after him and take care of him in his troubles. In the same way, God will look out for us. Like David, we too are God’s children, and He loves us. He will look out for us in the same way He looked out for David. Does that mean that hard times will not come? Of course not! Look at the life of David. Except for the mistake he made with Bathsheba, David lived a fairly righteous life, after all Scripture says that he was a man after God’s own heart, but even David experience hard times. However, the purpose of those trials was to draw David closer to God. In the midst of his pain, he reached out to God, and God was there for him every time. So yes, hard times will come, but we can always depend on God to be there for us.

I encourage you to really think about the way you pray. Do you bring a list before God of requests that you want answered? Do you take the time to praise God? Do you think back to the ways He has provided for you in the past? I challenge you to incorporate all of these different types of prayers into your prayer life. That is the example that David gives us, and it is a great example to follow.

Matt