The Letters

“And it came to pass, as David sat in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, Lo, I dwell in an house of cedars, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord remaineth under curtains. Then Nathan said unto David, Do all that is in thine heart; for God is with thee.” I Chronicles 17:1-2

David was in love with the Lord, and wanted to do something special for Him, and it was in his heart to build God a house. He pondered it for some time, and even sought counsel from Nathan, who was a prophet. It seemed good to David, and it also seemed good to Nathan. 

But was God with David in this? As Nathan walked away from David, God spoke to him and told him to go back and tell David that, though his intentions were good, he would not build a house for the Lord. In fact, God Himself would build a house for David, and for his descendents. 

The Holy Spirit would give David the precise design for the temple, and his son Solomon would build it. But more importantly, this was a type and shadow of the house that God would build for us through His Son, which is a living house! (see I Chronicles 17:11-14, Hebrews 3:6)

God does not need our help building anything for Him, and this is where we eventually come to a place of deep and abiding frustration. A place of brokenness, as we spend many years, in some cases, trying to build something in the strength and power of the flesh, expecting God to accept and bless it. 

“Heaven is my throne. And earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? Saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest? Hath not my hand made all these things?” Acts 7:49-50 

Have you done this? You are not alone. Moses, a man full of zeal for God and His calling, killed a single, solitary Egyptian. He thought that he had done a good thing, and even expected his brethren to understand God’s calling and purpose, and to get on board with him. But they did not. Instead, Moses became a fugitive, and fled from Pharaoh into the deserts of Midian, where he stayed for forty long years. 

No doubt, Moses had questions over the years, “Where did I go wrong?” “It is over.” “I have messed it all up.” He married a woman and started a family, and other than that, not a whole lot happened in Moses’ life for four more decades. When God came to him forty years later, all of his zeal was gone. His confidence (in the flesh) was gone. He made excuses as to why he was not the right prospect to go speak to Pharaoh. But God sent Him back to Egypt in His own power, not the power of the flesh, and Moses took out the entire Egyptian army, along with its king. He utterly destroyed the most powerful nation on earth at the time! He wiped them all out, and spoiled them. 

Moses tried to do things in his own strength and failed, but when he went in God’s strength (and timing), an entire nation was brought down. 

Peter, in his zeal, cut off a man’s ear, tried to talk Jesus out of going to the cross, and boasted that, though everyone else would deny that they knew the Lord, Peter most certainly would not! 

Joseph, out of zeal and pride, opened his mouth and told his brothers all of his dreams. He even told his father, Jacob, that he also would bow to him. Many would say, “Yes, but it got Joseph to where he would need to be, to stand before Pharaoh!” But to believe that there is only one way that God can bring something into order is to have very small and limited thinking. 

God factored in Joseph’s mistakes before Joseph was even born. He knew what Joseph would do, and He brought him before Pharaoh. There is no doubt that it could have been a whole lot easier on Joseph, and also on Jacob. 

And so it is with us.

God is not impressed by what you or I can do for Him. In fact, it is a major frustration because He cannot do, for us or through us, what He desires to do, as long as we persist in doing things our own way, and in our own strength. All He can do is watch as we labor and toil until it all inevitably implodes. He is then there to help us pick up the pieces, if we will allow Him. 

We should ask ourselves, “What are the things that are working in our lives? Our homes, marriages, children, businesses, ministries, and our churches? Have we submitted our ways and doings to the Lord, or are we striving and running into walls. Beating on doors that refuse to open. Are we building for Him, or are we allowing Him to build for us? 

Hebrews tells us that there is a place of rest where we can abide continually.

“There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he has also ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.” Hebrews 4:9-11

It does indeed take labor to enter and remain in a place of rest. The flesh has a loud and stubborn voice. It wants to do things its own way, regardless of whether or not those ways lead to life, prosperity, wholeness, or blessing. It must be subdued through the Spirit. It takes faith to believe that God’s ways and principles are more beneficial than our own intellectual and emotional efforts. 

Wisdom is the principal thing. The wisdom that comes from above. Through wisdom a house is built. Through understanding it is established. 

Jesus told us that His yoke is easy and His burden light. 

There is nothing that we can build or do for the Lord. His hand has created all things. But rather faith and patience allows Him to build through us. 

If God has called you, and you have taken a broken and difficult path, all is not lost. He did not call you because you are something impressive. He knew beforehand what you would do. He has factored in your errors and your foolishness before He called you, and if you will remain in faith, seek Him carefully, and be willing to let go of certain stubborn ways and beliefs, then He will bring you into the best time of your life!