God's Plan

David, after having defeated Saul and his army, settled into the palace in Jerusalem as the new king. After having hidden in caves while Saul's men tried to capture and kill him, the Lord gave David rest from his enemies (2 Samuel 7:1). Yet David realized, as he rested in his beautiful home, that the ark of the covenant still had no home. David said to Nathan the prophet, "here I am living in a palace of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent" (2 Samuel 7:2). David wanted to do something for God.

That night, the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying:
"Go and tell my servant David, 'This is what the Lord says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling...Now then, tell my servant David, 'This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture and from following the flock to be ruler over my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men of the earth. And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed (8-10). "'The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you; When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever (11 b-13).

God had not chosen David to build him a temple. This task would be given to Solomon, David's son.

Have you ever wanted to do something for God? Maybe you went to great effort to bring the plans to fruition only to encounter road blocks and detours. I know that much of my desire to have a daughter was selfish, yet God used this desire to bring my daughter home from Vietnam. However, even the process of bringing her home was filled with frustration, corruption and delays. I did not have to hide in a cave and run for my life, but like David, I had to learn to wait on God before I could rest.

God's message to David, when he wanted to build a home for the ark was a bit shocking. "Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in?" God reminds David that He would appoint someone to do this job in His timing and in His way. We are repeatedly reminded by God that we need to wait on Him. Even if our plan is grand and would bring about some good work for His kingdom, He is able to make things happen and His plans are always right. As we learn to wait on the Lord, we grow in faith and are strengthened by God. Isaiah 40:31 tells us: Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

We should not stop making plans for God's kingdom. However, God may have a different means of bringing about the outcome than we, and we must pray and entrust our plan to His guidance.

Dear God, I often make plans without bringing them first to You.  Your ways are good and right. When I wait on You, I am strengthened by your supernatural strength. Help me to entrust my thoughts and fears to You.  In Christ's Name. Amen.

Wait on the Lord

Wait 

To arrive at his high school, my son must drive a route that passes over train tracks. We often wait impatiently while trains inch forward and backward to change tracks at this frequently crossed intersection. One morning last week, Gabe's impatience got the best of him. He began turning around in an effort to get to school by a different route. However, the shoulder gave way under his tires, and the car careened into a ditch. Luckily, Gabe is safe, but the car is in sad condition.

We wait for trains, for healing and for direction; we frustratedly hold the phone waiting to speak with customer service representatives or change grocery story lines to get more quickly out of the store. We tap our fingers and chew our nails in our impatience. Sometimes waiting results in angry outbursts.

Scripture often reminds us to "wait on the Lord." Yet, like Gabe who was not willing to wait for the train, we opt not to wait, but rather take matters into our own hands.

Why is waiting so difficult? It requires that we stop the momentum and trust that something will take place. Similarly, waiting on the Lord entails the ability to pause, submit to a higher authority and trust with confidence in God's action.

As Gabe found out, an inability to wait may actually hinder our progress.  We can mess things up when we take matters into our hands rather than trust in God's understanding.

What are you waiting for? Perhaps you are waiting for your child to learn obedience or for your spouse to see things your way. Maybe you're waiting for just the right job to come along or to save enough money so that you can take a vacation. You could be waiting for your body to heal so that you can exercise again, or you might be waiting to see if a new medication will help you feel better. Life is full of waiting...so how do we deal with it?

We can use times of waiting to grow in our walk with God. In Psalm 130: 5-8, the psalmist wrote,
I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
and in his word I put my hope. 
I wait for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.
Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.
He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.

When we wait with hopeful expectation that the Lord will answer, we are confident that He will make something happen when it is the right time. We anticipate His answer and rely on His guidance and His unfailing love.

Dear Lord,
Help me in my impatience to place my hope in Your Word and Your unfailing love.
In Jesus' Name. Amen.