Christmas with Compassion | Day 13

Day 13 - Wednesday, December 18
Read 2 Samuel 7

Highlight
This chapter is a beautiful dialogue between God, through the prophet Nathan, and David. David has recognized all that the Lord has done for him. At this time, David had officially been king for awhile and settled into his palace in Jerusalem. But before that, it was years of waiting to be king while Saul was still on the throne, waiting for battles to be won in the land, and building a permanent home in Jerusalem. Once that was all accomplished, David was ready to make a permanent home for the Lord to dwell in. From this heartfelt desire, we receive the promise to David that shapes the rest of history.

God tells David that he will not be the one to build the Lord’s home. But it will be his son. Not only will David’s son be the one to build a place for the Lord to dwell. The Lord will make a lasting dwelling place for David’s descendants. It will be through David’s family that an everlasting king will come and reign.

Reflection & Prayer
For this reading plan, we will be using a tool to guide our study of Scripture that’s called the S.O.A.P. Method.  It stands for Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer.  We recommend you use a journal with this method and write out your thoughts on each of these areas for each day of reading.  It doesn’t have to be long-winded and you don’t need a fancy journal.  But for anyone who has not journaled before, the benefit is that it often helps us focus and avoid distractions during prayer and Bible study.

S.O.A.P. Method

Scripture - Pick a verse or two that stood out to you and write it in your journal. Be looking for a “Holy Spirit Highlight.” What did you read and think “I needed to hear that” or felt like it was written just for you?

Observation - Now write some observations about the verse(s) or passage. What is this passage or verse saying about God? About people? How is Jesus revealed in these verses?

Application - Now write a few sentences on how this passage applies to your life. Is there truth about God that you are to believe? Is the Holy Spirit convicting you of something you need to do or stop doing in light of God’s truth? Who could you share this story with and how God is speaking to you about it this week?

Prayer - Now write out a prayer to God in response to this Scripture. Be honest and express your heart to Him. God always listens and He delights in your prayers (Psalm 34:15; Proverbs 15:8).