God's Bigger "Yes"

Then King David went in, sat in Yahweh's presence, and said, "Who am I, Yahweh God, and what is my house that You have brought me this far? This was a little thing to You, God, for You have spoken about Your servant's house in the distant future. You regard me as a man of distinction, Yahweh God." - 1 Chronicles 17:16-17

David wanted to build a temple for Yahweh, but God said, "No." God then reminded David that though he was once a simple shepherd boy, he had become the king of Israel. He even went on to promise David that one of his descendants would govern Israel forever. Did David's focus remain on God's rejection of his plan, or was he able to appreciate God's promised future? The biblical record states that David presented himself before the Lord and thanked Him for His abundant (undeserved) blessings and promises. In other words, David allowed God's "no" to be eclipsed by His gracious "yes."

How do you respond when God says, "No?" When your plans, plans you are convinced came from God, seem blocked by God Himself? I sure wish I could say that my record in this area is "stellar," but it is not. It is always difficult for me to accept. Yet, when these moments come, like David, it is possible to remember the past blessings and embrace the promised future in Christ, no matter how difficult or irritating that future may seem to be.

God's "yes" is always bigger than His "no," but only if we love Him more than we love ourselves.

Establishing goals is all right if you don't let them deprive you of interesting detours. - Doug Larson