Psalm 55:15

Psalm 55:15

Be careful what you pray for!

This verse may sound at first like a vitriolic threat, uttered in a moment of pique and to be later regretted. Surely David didn’t really mean that he wanted his son to be killed in an unnatural way, to have his life snatched away when he was least expecting it? Surely the song-singing shepherd boy who lovingly plucked at his harp would not wish for his son to be consigned to eternal punishment, in the realm of the dead? We have a saying do we not, “Be careful what you wish for?” Well, we should also “Be careful what we pray for.” Did that prayer request make David a heartless, vengeful father? No, because when the conflict reached its head and the men of David faced the men of Absalom in combat, David instructed his commanders, “Be gentle with the young man Absalom for my sake.” 2 Samuel 18:5. However, that was after he had prayed this prayer, a prayer heard in heaven and a prayer that the Lord God answered. Absalom was riding his mule under an oak tree and his handsome head of hair got tangled in the branches. The mule kept going and Absalom was left hanging; enter Joab, one of David’s commanders, who took 3 javelins and thrust them into the young man’s heart. The gruesome story is recorded in 2 Samuel 18. 

Absalom was not just opposing his father when he carried out his coup, he also set himself against the will and purpose of Almighty God and that was his downfall. David may have prayed in anger and frustration, but God heard and acted in righteousness and justice. I have a feeling that David’s later, bitter sorrow at the death of his son may well have been added to by his awareness of his prayer request! If we truly believe that prayer is heard and answered then we must be careful, not just in our prayers, but also in our intentions and any vengeful thoughts that drive our prayer lives. That is a big subject, way beyond a few thoughts that accompany a daily verse, but one that is worthy of consideration. “Be careful what you pray for!” 

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