‘Thus
says the Lord, You shall not build a house for Me to dwell in..’ (v.4”)
David, in today's reading, didn't want to live in a palace while
the Ark remained in a tent. He wanted to build a proper temple for it. And this
time, he didn't rush ahead as he had done previously. Instead, he consulted
Nathan the prophet, showing that he had learned an important lesson about
submitting all his plans, to the Lord. God's answer, however, was “no”—the
honor of building a temple would go to his son, Solomon.
When petitioning the Lord with our prayers, even with the best
of motives, His answer can be “no”, as any good parent will sometimes respond.
Why? Because our heavenly father knows what is best for all of us and His ways
are not our ways. However, if our requests aline with HIS WILL, He will hear us
(1 John 5:14) and give us the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37:4).
David was not allowed to build to the temple of the Lord because
he was a man of war. However, the Lord promised to build him a house and
establish his throne forever (vv.11-13), giving him abundantly more than he
requested. I have experienced this great truth many times in my life. The closure
of one door followed by the opening of an even better one. As a result, I will
gladly take door number two, the door of His choosing rather than mine.
The Truth
“How
great is God—beyond our understanding!” (Job 36:26)
