“Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far?” 2 Samuel 7:18
David was the youngest of eight brothers. He was a shepherd, born into an unremarkable family in an obscure village called Bethlehem. David was not born a prince. Being a king was not his by nature. There is no path by which a hard-working shepherd gets rewarded by becoming a king. This was not the result of his own hard work.
David ponders all that God has done for him. And here is something that all of us can do. “Lord, you have brought all that is good into my life. You took hold of me, where I was and as I was, and you brought me into what I am and where I am. And without you, none of this would ever have happened.”
David could have taken credit for what he had done. He might have said, “Why has so much blessing come into my life? Well, I was the one who killed Goliath! And I honored the Lord by not taking the life of Saul when I could easily have done so. And I have been very patient!”
The natural condition of the sinful heart is to take credit for all that is good and to blame God for all that is bad. Prayer will never flow from a proud heart that credits self and blames God. Prayer flows from a humble heart that remembers what God has done.
Examine your heart and your prayers to see where you might be taking credit for what is good and blaming God for what is bad.
