Even when we have well-intended purposes for God’s
work, it is good to keep in mind that God’s will must
always prevail. Faithfulness does not simply mean offering
our best for God but, rather, listening to discern what God
may wish us to do.
King David sincerely desires to do something great for
God. Inspired by his own sense of pleasure, David notes
that he himself lives in a house of cedar. If this pleases him,
surely an even greater house for the ark will please God.
This makes sense, doesn’t it? But God desired to build a
spiritual lineage (or “house”) for David. From this heritage
God would choose both the time and descendant who
would build a temple. More importantly, from the spiritual
lineage would come the messiah.
How often in our lives do we assume what will please
God based upon our human experiences of pleasure rather
than the knowledge we gain from our spiritual life? We
gain spiritual knowledge through intentional openness
to God, through listening for and sensing the presence of
God. Spiritual knowledge comes with the openness and
expectation that God does have a will and a purpose, a
purpose that we can know through prayerful living.
However, the word of God comes to David through the
prophet Nathan, and David is able to hear. Persons of faith
live to please God through their being and their actions,
knowing that God delights in our prayerful listening.
By Nathan D. Baxter from The Upper Room: 60 Days of Prayer for General Conference 2016