I Chronicles 28:10 Take heed now; for the LORD hath chosen thee to build an house for the sanctuary: be strong, and do it.
God’s Best
Is it just me, or do people tend to become more opinionated the older they get? I know I have. I think the reason for this is that I know what it is I want by now. I’ve lived life long enough to know what I want to eat, what I want to wear, and where I want to go. I know what works and what doesn’t, and I have a very distinct opinion about it. I think we can very quickly feel as if the only way to be happy is to always get our first choice, and that a life of second choices is a life that is second rate. That is not necessarily so. Even kings don’t always get their first choice.
I Chronicles 28:1-3 says, “And David assembled all the princes of Israel…unto Jerusalem… and David the king stood upon his feet, and said, Hear me, my brethren, and my people: As for me, I had in mine heart to build an house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD…and had made ready for the building: but God…” He goes on to say that God told him that he was not the one to build the temple.
Now David’s ambition to build the temple was a noble and spiritual ambition. Not only did he have the desire, he also had the means to do it and the blueprint with which to do it. He had everything! So it did not make sense, humanly speaking, that David would not be the one to build it. But God had a different plan.
The lesson to learn from this is that your second choice is not always God’s second best. Just because it is not your first choice does not mean it is not God’s best. Sometimes our second choice means second of our ten favorite choices. Sometimes it is only a yes-no proposition and our second choice is precisely the one thing we don’t want.
Notice that both David and Solomon had choices to make. For instance, God said, “If…then.” God said that He would establish Solomon’s kingdom forever if Solomon was constant to keep God’s commandments. Solomon was not constant to do God’s commandments, but that was a choice he had. The point is that God’s way is best.
Also, notice that David had both the pattern and the means; all of which he gave to Solomon. Sometimes we may not understand why we are living what seems a life of our second choices. We must realize that we don’t have the same perspective as God does. God’s perspective is so massive that we can’t even comprehend it, but we can trust God. We can trust Him with our time and our life. You may say, “Well, if God didn’t want me to have my way, why did He give this desire, the means, and the knowledge?” I can’t answer that question. I’m not God. God is God. Why don’t you let Him be God today?
Remember your second choice is not always God’s second best. You can do no better than trusting God and saving what you have, using what you know, and stewarding what God has given to you in a way that will bring glory to Him and make a difference in this world.