The Plans of Man - and God's "No"

In 2 Samuel 7 and 1 Chronicles 17, we read about a time when David made a bold plan to serve the Lord.  He wanted to build a temple - a permanent place where the Lord would be worshiped.


What a wonderful goal this was!  Even Nathan the prophet immediately confirmed the plan, saying, "Go, do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you" (1 Sam. 7:3).


Then something changed.  The Lord appeared to Nathan and told him to tell David, "No."  God had given David many blessings, and throughout history since we have seen those blessings unfold.  But the privilege of building a temple would not go to David.  David had a great plan, but God said, "No."


As I ponder this, I think about all the times I think of something great I want to do to please God.  I have big dreams, and in my heart I truly want to honor the Lord - this is good and right.  But sometimes as I set out in one direction or another, I hear the Lord say, "No."  Sometimes it startles me.  Sometimes I am tempted to protest - to defend my plan - to tell the Lord what a good idea it was, because surely He didn't understand it fully before giving a negative answer. This may seem silly, but this is how my mind works (and perhaps yours does as well).


David accepted God's "No."  I am wise when I do the same.


As we read in Proverbs, "Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand" (19:21, see also 16:1 and 16:9).  In James we read that we "ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that'" (4:15).  We can plan - and we should plan - but those plans should always be subject to the leading of the Lord.  God's ways are truly best!

God is at work!

God is at work - all the time, everywhere.  I know this in my mind, but I have seen some new glimpses into a few of the specific ways God is working.  


I just returned from a couple weeks in Africa.  I see His hand at work around me every day, but in Africa I saw some true miracles - and God gets the glory.


Beyond this, I was humbled to see ways the Lord had used my prayers - prayers from this small servant - to do mighty things in an area of Africa to which this was my third visit.  How God chooses to use our humble prayers to partner with His work - this is a mystery I will never understand.  I will simply praise Him, and continue to pray many times each day.


I will write details in a future blog post.  For now, be encouraged, keep praying, and know that God is always at work!

Toddler-ish Prayers

My precious two-year-old is at the difficult stage of learning how to express what she wants, but not knowing how to hear the word "No" gracefully.  It's challenging for us as parents.  There are many times she resorts to full-fledged tantrums to try to get her way.  If you're a parent of a child age three or above, you've been there too.


Here is a window into our 2:00 a.m. interactions with her last night.


First, she wanted apple juice.  We don't let her take juice to bed, however, we give her a sippy cup of water in bed every night.  At 2 a.m. she wanted juice.  "I want juice."  No, I have given you water.  "I want juice!"  No.  "I WANT JUICE!"  No, you have water.  You can have juice in the morning.  "I WANT JUICE!!!"  Her volume increased with each statement, until she was absolutely screaming her desire over and over.  And the tantrum was in full swing.


As she was screaming about juice, we had to do the next thing that was good for her: putting her back in bed.  "Don't put me back in bed."  It's time to go to bed.  "Don't put me back in bed!"  She stopped waiting for any responses, but just kept repeating, ever more loudly, "DON'T PUT ME BACK IN BED!!!"  Her repetitive, plaintive cries and screams continued for quite a long time after she was already tucked in.


As I was wide awake listening to her, reviewing these interactions in my head, I thought about some of my own prayers and pleas to God.


Sometimes I can be so fixated on what I want (like apple juice) that I miss the fact that He has given me something good (like water) that meets my needs most wonderfully.  I might be so busy lamenting the fact that I don't have apple juice that I fail to enjoy the blessing of the water.  Or I might miss that the Lord has not told me "No," but "Wait until the right time."  Waiting is hard, but the blessing of getting God's gifts at the right time is priceless.


Sometimes I can be so fixated on shouting my will to Him that I don't realize how He has lovingly given me something I truly need (like going to bed).  I don't appreciate the blessing of His gift, and beg Him not to give it to me, rejecting His goodness.  I sometimes fail to follow Jesus' example in praying, "Not my will, but Yours be done."


Sometimes I can be so busy shouting my will to Him that I am no longer listening to His calm, quiet voice explaining His perfect will to me.  


Sometimes my prayers can scarily resemble the demands of a toddler.  


What about you?  Do you (perhaps painfully) see yourself anywhere in here?


My two-year-old will outgrow this phase, and learn to listen better to her earthly parents, as well as to the Lord.  Will I outgrow my toddler-ish ways in my interactions with my Heavenly Father?