When sin occurs within a family, it can have a ripple effect that is far-reaching and long-lasting. A child may sin against a parent. A husband against a wife. Wrongs done may be remembered for years, and the residual anger can be destructive. It is in the midst of just such a situation that today’s prayer occurs.
Absalom, the son of King David, harbored anger against his father. While David was a hero to many, that image came crashing down for Absalom. An unthinkable event occurred. David’s daughter and Absalom’s sister, Tamar, was raped by her half-brother, Amnon. When David discovered the heinous act, he was furious but did nothing (2 Sam. 13:22). This infuriated Absalom to the point that he killed his brother, Amnon, and then went after his father, starting a rebellion.
When David heard Absalom was coming, he fled (2 Sam. 15:12). Grief-stricken and mourning, David led his followers through the Mount of Olives. He had abandoned the throne God gave him, and David knew he needed to go to the Lord in prayer. In Psalm 3 David tells God that Absalom and his followers want him dead (vv. 1–2). He declares that Yahweh is his shield and defender (v. 3). He is confident that the Lord will answer (v. 4). During this tragic season of his life, sleep and waking were not things he took for granted. Despite his anxiety, the Lord gave him the rest he needed and the safety to wake alive the next day (vv. 5–6). One can almost feel David’s emotions shift as he asks God to deliver him and to “strike down [his] enemies” (v. 7). David knew he was sinful, but he also knew deliverance would come only from the Lord.
>> Are you facing an impossible situation? Surrender your sin to the Lord and pray that He will deliver you from the consequences of your sin. Only He can rescue you.
Pray with Us
We confess the bad we have done and the good we have not done. Grant us repentance, Lord, and by your mercy deliver us from the consequences of our sins.
BY Dr. Chris Rappazini
Dr. Chris Rappazini is Associate Professor of Pastoral Studies at Moody Bible Institute. He is the former President of the Evangelical Homiletics Society and previously served as an Associate Minister of Preaching and Teaching in Spokane, Washington. Chris and his wife, Ashley, and their children reside in Northwest Indiana.