5 Minute Read

Prepare Your Heart

To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.

Read God’s Word

1 Chronicles 16:7-17:27
John 19:28-20:10

A Verse for Today

Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.

1 Chronicles 17:1-4 (CSB): “When David had settled into his palace, he said to the prophet Nathan, ‘Look! I am living in a cedar house while the ark of the Lord’s covenant is under tent curtains.’ So Nathan told David, ‘Do all that is on your mind, for God is with you.’ But that night the word of God came to Nathan: ‘Go to David my servant and say, “This is what the Lord says: You are not the one to build me a house to dwell in.”‘”

Reflecting on God’s Word

David appears to have had a very pure and good desire in 1 Chronicles 7. He saw the splendor of the palace he called “home” and then observed what the Ark of the living God was residing in. He was living in a palace, and the Arc was in a tent. To David, this clearly didn’t seem right. He was doing better than the piece of furniture that represented the very presence of God.

David determined that he would to do something about it. He contacted a prophet of the Lord and told him of his intentions. The prophet Nathan didn’t seem to think about the request and it’s implications. He seems to have instantly measured David’s desire in his mind and instantly assumed God woudl approve. So, Nathan responded by telling David to do whatever was in his heart.

David’s desire seemed like a good idea coming from a good heart, and so God must be in it, right?

Wrong.

Nathan went home, probably excited about his part in a grand plan that was soon to materialize. Yet, God had other plans. God spoke clearly to Nathan in a vision that evening and told him that David was not allowed to build the Temple. God said that Daved was a warrior who had shed much blood so he could not build the Temple that sought to bring peace between God and man.

Can you imagine what Nathan felt like as God spoke to him? Sure, he was overjoyed that the God of Heaven would speak so plainly to His humbly prophet. Yet, God’s words meant that Nathan would have to eat some humble pie. He would have to go back to David, before he started the work on the Temple, and tell the King that he had spoken presumptuously.

Nathan was no mere man. He was a prophet of the Lord, and he knew that people took his words seriously. So, he wanted to have a good track record. He wanted to say things that were right and true. And yet God’s words made it clear that he was to go back to David and admit that his previous words were not of the Lord. He had given presumptuous counsel, and the King needed to abandon any plans he had made based on Nathan’s previous words.

The same thing can happen to us, friend.

I’ve had a few occasions where I was standing behind a pulpit and claimed that God’s Word said something. And then a church member came to me within the next day or so, with their finger on the Bible, and pointed out that I had misrepresented God’s Word. I had clearly spoken presumptuously. That’s not a small thing! James 4:1 warns against people becoming teachers, knowing that we are going to receive the stricter judgment.

But even people who are not pastors or Bible teachers can do this. We can say that God is leading us in a certain direction, and it later becomes obvious that God was not in it. We can provide council to someone who has come to us only to find out later on that we did not give them what they truly needed. On and on we could go about how we periodically speak presumptuously.

So what’s the answer? Simply this: instead of quickly spouting off things, we need to spend time in prayer with the Lord and time studying His Word. We need to surrender to the leadership of the Holy Spirit and be filled with Him. We need to be quick to hear and slow to speak, not giving information before we know what we’re talking about.

Our nation is getting further away from the Lord. People are looking for answers. Let’s be like Nathan after he heard from the Lord. Let’s be people who can be trusted when we speak. Let’s know our Bibles and rely upon God’s Holy Spirit so that when we say something, we’re not embarrassed like Nathan and have to go back and say that we were wrong.

Spend Time in Prayer

  • Ask God to keep you from trying to take shortcuts in your desire to hear from Him.
  • Ask God to help you dig deeper into God’s Word and to get God’s Word deeper into you.
  • Ask God to enable you to be filled with the Holy Spirit and be sensitive to His leading before you speak.

Going Deeper

If you want to dig a little deeper into how to be sure you have heard from God, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:

“How do I hear from God?”

Sharing

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Matt Ellis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida (fbcpolkcity.com)