God recognized the sincerity in David’s heart even though it wasn’t in the plan. And David didn’t get mad. He praises God in verses 22-29. It was not a consequence. It was a matter of function. God used David mightily as a man of war. He didn’t need him to build a house of peace. It’s important to know your function. Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you will operate in the way that you think you will.
Let me share some lessons from this text:
- When God says no, it’s not necessarily discipline or punishment. He has a better way and expects me to support it.
- When God says no, the best reaction is for me to accept His plan, humbly. He doesn’t call everybody to build temples. He uses us in a variety of ways. We don’t all function the same way.
- One of the hardest things to hear is that God is going to use someone else to accomplish something that you thought was for you to do. Don’t allow the enemy an opportunity to tell you that you are a failure because you didn’t accomplish a goal. Seek God concerning His will for your life. If it’s not in His will, you didn’t need to do it anyway. It doesn’t mean it was a bad idea or a bad plan, just not the plan for you to carry out.
- God knows what He’s doing. Sometimes He says yes, and sometimes He says no. Either way, His answer is best because He is never wrong.
The Manna Chef 