Our Plans and God’s Plans
He said to me, ‘It is your son Solomon who shall build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be a son to me, and I will be a father to him. – 1 Chronicles 28:6
When trying to discover God’s will, sometimes what we want and what God wills are in conflict. We desire what we desire, and that’s fine, but sometimes God has something else in mind.
What a sobering reminder that the sovereign will of God is not dependent upon our wishes. David’s desire to build the temple, as noted in 1 Chronicles 28, was a noble desire. There was nothing wrong with wanting a permanent temple to be built for God, but it just was not God’s will for David to build it. And all of us have got to be comfortable with God saying, “you know my child, that’s just not my will for your life. I know you see what others have and what others are doing, but that’s just not what I have in mind for you.” As Christians we must punctuate our prayers with this salutation, “if it be thy will.”
God answers David’s prayer in two ways. He answers through denial by telling him, he won’t build a temple, but He also answered him differently. He doesn’t say a temple won’t be built. He just tells David you won’t be the one to do it. Look at the text. David goes on to announce in verse 6, “‘It is your son Solomon who shall build My house and My courts....”
God gave David a vision for the temple, but he would not be the vessel to construct it. That assignment would fall upon the responsibility of his son Solomon in the next generation. While David’s desire was to build a house for the Lord, God saw something else. God saw something happening in David’s bloodline that would endure long past David; and as sincere as David was, his vision was limited. David laid a foundation that his son would build upon, and it would be through that lineage that the Messiah, Jesus Christ, would be born.
God had a broader plan in mind, and if David wasn’t mature enough to handle God’s denial, he would have missed his destiny. Don’t ever miss your destiny because you are stuck on your desire. Sometimes God says “no” because He’s got something bigger, other times He says “no” because He’s got something better in mind that we can’t see.
When trying to discover God’s will, sometimes what we want and what God wills are in conflict. We desire what we desire, and that’s fine, but sometimes God has something else in mind.
What a sobering reminder that the sovereign will of God is not dependent upon our wishes. David’s desire to build the temple, as noted in 1 Chronicles 28, was a noble desire. There was nothing wrong with wanting a permanent temple to be built for God, but it just was not God’s will for David to build it. And all of us have got to be comfortable with God saying, “you know my child, that’s just not my will for your life. I know you see what others have and what others are doing, but that’s just not what I have in mind for you.” As Christians we must punctuate our prayers with this salutation, “if it be thy will.”
God answers David’s prayer in two ways. He answers through denial by telling him, he won’t build a temple, but He also answered him differently. He doesn’t say a temple won’t be built. He just tells David you won’t be the one to do it. Look at the text. David goes on to announce in verse 6, “‘It is your son Solomon who shall build My house and My courts....”
God gave David a vision for the temple, but he would not be the vessel to construct it. That assignment would fall upon the responsibility of his son Solomon in the next generation. While David’s desire was to build a house for the Lord, God saw something else. God saw something happening in David’s bloodline that would endure long past David; and as sincere as David was, his vision was limited. David laid a foundation that his son would build upon, and it would be through that lineage that the Messiah, Jesus Christ, would be born.
God had a broader plan in mind, and if David wasn’t mature enough to handle God’s denial, he would have missed his destiny. Don’t ever miss your destiny because you are stuck on your desire. Sometimes God says “no” because He’s got something bigger, other times He says “no” because He’s got something better in mind that we can’t see.
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