Pray the word with David Platt is a resource from Radical.net.

The main point in the end here is Joab, one of the sons of Zuerriah, has murdered Abner,

and David is shirking his responsibility as the anointed king to exact justice for Abner's

murder and the reason David doesn't carry out justice is because he's afraid of the

strength of Joab. He's afraid of the strength of the sons of Zuerriah, and in this verse we see

the tendency or temptation in our own hearts and lives to not obey God, to not do what we should

do according to his word, because we are afraid of what others might say about us or do to us,

or afraid in any number of other ways. I just want to encourage you, even as I do this my own

heart and life today, to think about any ways that God is calling you to obey him, that you are

not obeying him, because you are afraid of what it might cost you, because you're afraid of what

others might say about you, or what others might do to you, and so you or I can so easily justify

in a sense, not acting in obedience to God, because we think it would be better for us if we didn't.

So we pray, based on 2nd St. chapter 3, God help us to trust you and not ourselves. God, we pray

that you would deliver us from fear of obedience to you. God, we pray that you would help us today to do

all that you are calling us to do in your word without fear, with love for you, with love for others,

to walk humbly with you. Do justice, love, mercy. As I think about this story in 2nd

Samuel chapter 3, God, we pray that you would help us. And all the more so in positions of

leadership, like you would just anointed David as king. God, in the leadership you give us and

our homes and different positions of leadership you entrust to us. God, help us to faithfully follow

you to do what you are calling us to do according to your word, no matter what that may cost us. God

we pray for wisdom. And in this prayer for wisdom, God, we pray that you would save us from our own

foolishness from acting out of fear and from thinking that our ways are better than your ways.

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