Throughout the rest of David’s life, David continued to pursue knowing God and honoring Him with his life. Later in his life, he desired to build God a temple, relied on God when his son was trying to kill him, and wrote dozens of songs and poems of gratitude that were published. David, yearned for God to receive the glory–even until his final breath.

Loss can be an overwhelming experience for all of us. When each of us were young children, we would tantrum or burst into tears at discovering a toy missing or when in need of our parents. If you have a good memory, you may recall one of these experiences where you felt deep loss and had no hesitation communicating your needs. More often than not, we hope for mercy (not receiving what we deserve) and grace (receiving something we didn’t earn), but at other times, we are seeking the consequences of our actions. 

It is no longer rare to find me in a puddle of my own tears as we worship with our church community, in prayer, or simply as I deeply feel alongside my friends in the shadows and valleys of life. These dark corners, where the consequences of sin, brokenness, and human limits are devastatingly apparent, you will also find those who deeply mourn.

Sitting in chunks of a story (rather than moving through it quickly) is where the phrases or details come alive that are sometimes overlooked when we read a story in its entirety. While the story of David & Bathsheba is generally common knowledge to those who study the Bible, at times we can rush through stories we think we know. Taking the time to sit in each aspect of the story gives us space to imagine and notice the circumstances to the best of our ability.

Fast forward to the years of David’s reign as king. He had just found out that Bathsheba, the woman he took advantage of was pregnant with his child, he’d killed her husband because of his refusal to go home to be with his wife while his unit was still at war, and now he’d married her. 

A prophet, Nathan, came to David when prompted by God and told him a story...

When someone extends mercy, the recipient has a unique emotional response. Depending on your own previous relationships, someone deciding not to give you the consequences you deserve may be something you crave or desire. Mercy may be something you long to experience. There are others who may have generous amounts of mercy extended to them which inhibits their ability to frequently experience consequences...

It is easy to take for granted the incredible way God loves us. We easily embrace the large quantity of blessings He pours out until the moment we notice we once again have sinned against Him. 

In these moments of self-awareness, we often realize our issues and start to spiral. We forget that doing bad things, while completely our responsibility, is a very normal, human trait. Shame tends to creep in and tries to convince us that we are bad people because of our sin, but God knows that every person will be sinful. Knowing this does not change His opinion that we are not worthless. He sees the value of His people regardless of their behavior, but that is not the end of the story.