When God Shoots Down Your Plans

1) Everybody makes plans.

If someone has no plans for the future, ask them where they will be at twice their age. While people may not want to commit to speaking their plans, they definitely have an idea of what direction they are going and who they want to be.

David certainly had plans. Pastor Ben gave an explaination of how David went from hiding in a cave to being King over Israel. After he had mourned the death of Saul and Jonathan, had multiple battles, and dealt with dysfunction from every side, David finally became king and wanted to honor God. God told David where he had started and where He had brought him, so David wanted to build God a house to dwell in among the people. God flat out refuses this plan.

2) God shoots down plans.

This is actually something that scares us the most about God. He can destroy our plans! We like our plans, we made them for a reason, and while we appreciate His plan of salvation, we often do not want him messing with our own personal plans. The irony is that He can mess with our plans no matter what. God does whatever God wants to whether we like it or not.

People tend to either love that or hate that about God. But regardless, there is always hope.

What do you do when you have a good plan and God shoot it down?

1)You listen. You receive the Word of God.

This does not mean you just sit there and be quiet hoping to hear something. Sometimes that happens, but it's through the Word of God that He has spoken to us! The words that God gave to David were the same words that the prophets constantly called back to, what Mary referred to as she carried our Savior. His word is powerful and enduring. The Bible is for us! So receive the Word of God and rest.

2) You rest.

After God tells David that he is not to build a house for him, David didn't get mad and throw a temper tantrum. Instead, this is where we first see David referenced as King, and he went in before the Lord and sat. (2 Samuel 7:18) He found his rightful place in the presence of God and poured out his heart of thanksgiving and confessing that he trusts God's plan and covenant. King David is given a promise, but not the details, yet he praises God anyway.

Is it wrong to make plans? No. The Bible is full of examples of people making plans. The hope of the Believer is that even when our plans fall apart, we don't worry about it. God's secret will is His to keep. David didn't apologize about making plans to build God a house, in the New Testament Paul doesn't apologize for trying to get to Spain to spread the gospel. They just pivot and trust that God has a better plan when God says no to theirs. His plans never fall apart or fail.

3) Run in the path of His commands.

David didn't just sit and pout. He may not have been the designated one to build the temple, but he went ahead and started making preparations and sacrificing his own fortune for it. Just because God says no to something doesn't mean we give up. King David knew that his son would be building a House for the Lord, so he helped gather materials. We get to excel at the revealed things.

The Davidic Covenant is given in 2 Samuel 7:9-16. God promises that He will make David's name great, He will establish a house, or dynasty, that will far outlive David, and that estblished kingdom will endure forever, David's throne will be established with no end. God is ultimately talking about His Son, Jesus coming. Matthew 1:6 and Luke 3:31 show us exactly where David falls in the genealogy of Jesus. Genesis 49:10 promises that the scepter shall not fall from Judah. This is the tribe that both David and Jesus come from. Redemption has always been in the story. From Genesis, through all of the covenants, God's plan is always better! And what also is remarkable is that God gives this covenant to David, promising an enduring throne that will lead to our salvation, before David commits a heinous trail of sin. Part of the Davidic Covenant was that God would never take His love away. That word is true for us today as well.