Seeking God's Plans, Not Ours
Seeking God’s Plan, Not Ours
1 Chronicles 16-20
“Go and tell David My servant, ‘Thus says the Lord, you shall not build a house for Me to dwell in…I tell you that the Lord will build a house for you.”
Sometimes we can have the right idea but the wrong motivation. Such was the case of David. With great fanfare and celebration, David brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. The Ark of the Covenant was more than just a historical relic from the time of the Exodus; it was the symbol of God’s promise and salvation of His people. When the Ark arrived in Jerusalem, David rightfully led the people in an anthem of worship by reminding them of God’s redemptive care and deliverance of the nation of Israel. Throughout Israel's history, marked by struggles with sin and idolatry, God remained faithful to His covenant and the nation by protecting them throughout their travels. In celebration of God’s care, David led the people in a song of praise and thanksgiving, reminding the people that “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; He also is to be feared above all gods” (1 Chron. 16:25). God has demonstrated his faithfulness and lovingkindness for them (vs. 34).
In his enthusiasm and excitement at the presence of the Ark in the capital city of Jerusalem, David informs Nathan, the prophet, that he would like to build a Temple worthy of the worship of God. It was a noble desire. However, the problem was that David had fallen into the trap that we all easily fall into. He had fallen into the trap of thinking that God needed him and that he was doing a service to God. As we become involved in the church's ministry, it is easy to fall into the subtle sin of a sense of elevated importance. We start to think that we are more important than we are. Instead of serving God with a sense of humility, we begin to serve him with a sense of pride and self-importance. We fall into the trap of thinking that God needs us and the church needs us. This was the error of David. He had the right idea, but the wrong motivation.
God’s response is both surprising and instructive. Instead of blessing David and affirming his desire to build a temple worthy of the God of the universe, God forbids it. God reminds David that He is the one who brought David to power and gave him victory over his enemies (17:7-8). God reminds David that it is David who needs God and not the other way around. God does not need David to make a house for Him to dwell in; rather, it is David who requires God to build him a house (vs. 10). God reminds David that He is sovereign and determines the times and events of history.
Like David, we can sometimes fall into the same error, thinking that God needs us to help Him accomplish His mission in the church. We gain a sense of self-importance by thinking that we are indispensable to God’s plan for the church and the ministry of the kingdom. Instead of seeing ministry as a privilege given to us by a gracious God, we start to think that we are indispensable to God. When the church does not follow our plans or give us the recognition we feel we deserve, we become offended and angry. We start to believe that the church will not flourish without us. Like David, we need to be reminded that God does not need us, but He does graciously choose to use us to accomplish His purpose. When we achieve results for God, it is not because of our ability, but because of His gracious work through us. What we achieve in our life and ministry is not a testimony of our abilities but of God’s grace so that in the end we might sing His praise, not our own.
1 Chronicles 16-20
“Go and tell David My servant, ‘Thus says the Lord, you shall not build a house for Me to dwell in…I tell you that the Lord will build a house for you.”
Sometimes we can have the right idea but the wrong motivation. Such was the case of David. With great fanfare and celebration, David brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. The Ark of the Covenant was more than just a historical relic from the time of the Exodus; it was the symbol of God’s promise and salvation of His people. When the Ark arrived in Jerusalem, David rightfully led the people in an anthem of worship by reminding them of God’s redemptive care and deliverance of the nation of Israel. Throughout Israel's history, marked by struggles with sin and idolatry, God remained faithful to His covenant and the nation by protecting them throughout their travels. In celebration of God’s care, David led the people in a song of praise and thanksgiving, reminding the people that “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; He also is to be feared above all gods” (1 Chron. 16:25). God has demonstrated his faithfulness and lovingkindness for them (vs. 34).
In his enthusiasm and excitement at the presence of the Ark in the capital city of Jerusalem, David informs Nathan, the prophet, that he would like to build a Temple worthy of the worship of God. It was a noble desire. However, the problem was that David had fallen into the trap that we all easily fall into. He had fallen into the trap of thinking that God needed him and that he was doing a service to God. As we become involved in the church's ministry, it is easy to fall into the subtle sin of a sense of elevated importance. We start to think that we are more important than we are. Instead of serving God with a sense of humility, we begin to serve him with a sense of pride and self-importance. We fall into the trap of thinking that God needs us and the church needs us. This was the error of David. He had the right idea, but the wrong motivation.
God’s response is both surprising and instructive. Instead of blessing David and affirming his desire to build a temple worthy of the God of the universe, God forbids it. God reminds David that He is the one who brought David to power and gave him victory over his enemies (17:7-8). God reminds David that it is David who needs God and not the other way around. God does not need David to make a house for Him to dwell in; rather, it is David who requires God to build him a house (vs. 10). God reminds David that He is sovereign and determines the times and events of history.
Like David, we can sometimes fall into the same error, thinking that God needs us to help Him accomplish His mission in the church. We gain a sense of self-importance by thinking that we are indispensable to God’s plan for the church and the ministry of the kingdom. Instead of seeing ministry as a privilege given to us by a gracious God, we start to think that we are indispensable to God. When the church does not follow our plans or give us the recognition we feel we deserve, we become offended and angry. We start to believe that the church will not flourish without us. Like David, we need to be reminded that God does not need us, but He does graciously choose to use us to accomplish His purpose. When we achieve results for God, it is not because of our ability, but because of His gracious work through us. What we achieve in our life and ministry is not a testimony of our abilities but of God’s grace so that in the end we might sing His praise, not our own.
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