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Now it came to pass, when David was dwelling in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, "See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the LORD is under tent curtains. Then Nathan said to David, "Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you. But it happened that night that the word of God came to Nathan, saying, Go and tell My servant David, "Thus says the LORD: "You shall not build Me a house to dwell in. 1 Chronicles 17:1-4

Although King David desired to build God a house, his request was rejected. (Maybe another perspective is that his request was delayed since God did give the “ok” for David’s heir to build him a house.) However we want to look at, rejection is never easy to accept. Being in sales, it is something I deal with often. I’m told to not let it affect me. Move on to the next prospect. But there is something to be said about God’s no answers to us. They are not always easy to hear much less comprehend. In the case of David, he had a [seemingly good idea] and good heart to build somewhere for the Lord to dwell just as he had a place to dwell. But God’s reply was no to David. Sometimes knowing why can help us deal with rejection but in David’s case there was no sin or setback that kept him from gaining God’s approval. So how does the believer deal with this type of difficult response? I can appreciate two things about this passage that give me insight on how to cope. First, God gave a quick reply (see 1 Chronicles 17:3). The prophet Nathan was instructed the same night. God didn’t delay in responding to David although the answer was no, which demonstrates his faithfulness to us. The other thing to admire is David’s response to a sovereign God’s answer. How could he question God’s response? Even more so, how can I question the Almighty?

Let's look at David's response. We can learn from his example (see 2 Samuel 7:18-29). David’s posture was one of humility and worship. We can praise God for his answers even if they are no because we realize his plan for us is perfect. David also realized the blessing in God’s answer. Although he told David no, he promised to establish his throne forever, thus allowing his offspring (Solomon) to build the Lord a house. David’s response is then that of gratitude for being included into the awesome and sovereign plan of God. We can react the same way in that we as a child of the Most High are included into his plan. We can recount his gracious hand towards us. We can remember how he has delivered us time and time again and been mindful of us all throughout our lives. Even our response to God’s no answers should always be one of worship and humility.

But there is another side. What if David had become frustrated and angry at God’s response? We do not have that recorded in Scripture, but we do have an instance of a group of individuals doing the opposite. That is they decided to reject God's no and proceed anyway. But what happens when we do this? The Israelites tried this when they were supposed to enter the Promised Land. After the 40-day reconnaissance mission, they (ten of the twelve spies) decided that the inhabitants of Canaan were too powerful. Although God was on their side and had given them the “yes of heaven” they decided to reject God’s answer which resulted in God forbidding them to enter the land (see Numbers 14:26-45). After receiving the punishment of being destined to wander in the wilderness for 40 years, they decided to enter the land and conquer their enemies. However, at this point God’s hand was against their desire and they were beaten by their enemy. What is the moral of the story? As children of God, we are obligated to follow the commands of our master—whether that command be a “no” or yes”. We need to trust that God’s plan includes our best outcome. A lot of the times we cannot envision what he has ahead or down the road for us, but we can rest assured that it is perfect. His will is one that is perfect. When God says no we can accept his no. When God says yes we can accept his yes. Looking back, what did David find his joy in? He found it in doing the will of God. What did the Israelites find their defeat in? They found it in disobeying the will of God. Insight into the response of the Sovereign and the response of the servant [David] help us realize that we can accept God’s yes or no for our lives also. His understanding and reasoning are so much beyond our own. (see Isaiah 55:8)

"Inspiration For You" from Randy Mitchell

Keep Your Dreams to Yourself