“The king said to Nathan the prophet, ‘I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent.’ And Nathan said to the king, ‘Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you.’
“That night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, ‘Tell my servant David, “Would you build me a house to dwell in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought the people of Israel from Egypt, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling… And I have been with you wherever you went… I will make for you a great name… And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more… Moreover, the Lord… will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you,.. and will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son… my steadfast love will not depart from him…”‘
“Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, ‘Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far?.. Because of your promise, and according to your own heart, you have brought about all this greatness… There is none like you, and there is no God besides you… And who is like your people Israel, the one nation on earth whom God went to redeem to be his people, making himself a name and doing for them great and awesome things by driving out before your people, whom you redeemed for yourself from Egypt, a nation and its gods?.. And now, O Lord God, confirm forever the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house… And your name will be magnified forever, saying, “The Lord of hosts is God over Israel,” and the house of your servant David will be established before you… O Lord God, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever.’” 2 Samuel 7:2-6,9-10a,11c-14a,15a,18,21-23,25-26,29b
David of earth had the best intentions to build a house for God, a temple where the ark would reside and His people could gather, worship, and sacrifice. But God of heaven had a different idea of the house He would build and had begun to establish in David. Godly desires on the part of man are not always God’s design for His plans for man. The Lord made clear His specific roles for David to build a spiritual house, and his son Solomon to construct a temple. (1 Samuel 13:14; 1 Chronicles 22:7-12)
We want physical, the Lord wants forever. We make plans, the Lord determines our steps. We see in a mirror dimly, the Lord sees and knows all, present and future. In our strategizing and scheduling, are we building for this life or the next? Do we stop and pray over plans that feed not just body but soul, that align with God’s eternal good, not just temporal gain? (Proverbs 16:9; Matthew 6:19-20; Mark 8:36; 1 Corinthians 13:12)
Lord, engage my every effort to build Your house and kingdom, for the good of Your people and glory of Your name.
As the rain and snow 