Reading the Bible through with me? Then grab your pen and journal and read 1 Chronicles 16-18. In chapter 17, David and all the people were in ecstasy over the return of the Ark of the Covenant. High off a mountain top emotional and spiritual experience, David wanted to do more for Yahweh. He was like most of us whose intimacy with God often depends on the occasional soul-searching experience. David expressed the idea of building a Temple for Yahweh. Nathan the prophet, still reflecting on the ecstasy of the return of the Ark, told David “Do whatever is in your heart because Yahweh is with you.” Like so many churches and so many Christians, we fret, worry, plan, and then ask for Yahweh’s blessing on whatever we choose to do. The issue is that we waste time planning work to do FOR God rather than seeking God’s plan, purpose, and process. When it is OUR plan to accomplish, it is we who must make the plans and provide the resources. It was Henry Blackaby who said something to this effect: “It’s not God’s responsibility to provide resources for anything HE did not tell you to do.” Something might be a great idea and yet not be God’s will. When Nathan got away from the revelry and distraction, he heard the voice of Yahweh telling him to return to David and tell him “NO!” Yahweh Himself had already made provision for that. There are clever or even innovative ideas, and there are God ideas. We usually discover God ideas after getting still, quiet, and prayerfully seeking His purpose, plan, and power. In the focus of your quiet time, away from distractions, what is God telling you to do? What are you waiting for?
