Being Part of God's Plan

29 Now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. For you, O Lord God, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever.” (2 Samuel 7:29)

            David was often known to meditate on God’s word. Born of this desire for a deeper connection to God, David desired to build a permanent dwelling place (the temple) for God’s glory. But to David’s surprise, God said no! There are many things I’ve asked for and am pretty certain God has said no. The question is then how do we react when God says no to our hopes, aspirations, and dreams? David’s response is a great example of how we should handle this disappointment. He humbly gave thanks to God, praised Him for his character and works, and reaffirms his complete dependence upon the Lord (2 Samuel 7:18-29).

            David had hoped to build a house for the Lord, but it was the Lord who ended up building a house for David. This house is known in Scripture as the Davidic covenant. It is the promise made by God to establish David’s throne forever. How’s that for a promise? In David’s prayer recorded in verse 29, he is asking God to bless his family and his descendants. He knew that God always kept His end of the covenant even when Israel strayed from their end of the deal. David knew that God would bless His people through His covenant for generations to come.

            David’s desire to build God’s house was a good one. Even though it was not God’s will for David to build the temple, God did praise him for having the desire in his heart to do something wonderful for God (2 Chronicles 6:8). When we find ourselves having specific desires to serve God, we should thank Him. We should then seek Him in prayer and meditate on His word to see if our dreams and desires are in alignment for His plan for our lives. Sometimes when have to put our dreams on the backburner or let them die completely. We see things not turn out the way we had hoped, but we must always remember the Lord’s promise in Romans 8:28, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”  We can do great things for God, but they may not be the things we imagined doing for Him. Seek His will for your life and have a blessed week!

Even Jesus had Family Issues at Times

Whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother (Mark 3:35).

            Do you ever have any trouble with family members? If you’re like me, that’s a resounding yes. If you have problems with people in school, the chances are you will never have to see them again after graduation, or at least not very often. But when it comes to family, you have to see them at holidays, weddings, funerals, and other special activities. It may give you comfort to know that even Jesus had problems with His family members too.

            Jesus’ own family thought He had lost His mind. After all, He did claim to be God in the flesh. They saw Him as too religious! Too radical!! They were concerned that He had gone off the deep end and came to rescue Him before He damaged the family reputation too horribly bad. They did not realize until after His resurrection that He had come from heaven to rescue them…

            Why had He left His great paying job at the carpentry shop? He had no place to lay His head much less a few of life’s luxuries. And who was this ragtag band of questionable disciples following Him around everywhere He went? Tax collectors? Ugh!! Fishermen? Pew!! His family did not understand and they definitely did not approve.

            Have you ever noticed that when someone is consumed with nutrition and health, it doesn't seem to bother their family? If they are running every day, no one gets worried. If they are lifting weights three or four times a week, no one is concerned. But if they are reading their Bible every single day, the family’s alarm bells start sounding. When someone is excited over sports, you just dismiss them as a fan. But if you are truly excited over spiritual things and want to talk about God a lot, people call you a fanatic. Someone once called an old-timey preacher a nut. The preacher replied, “At least I’m fastened onto the right bolt!”

            Jesus issues this invitation: “Let me be Lord of your life.” Having your family’s approval is worth a lot, but have the approval of heaven is priceless! Obey God today, follow His plan for your life, and hear your Heavenly Father say, “This is my beloved child, in you I am well pleased.” Latch onto God. Have a blessed week!!!