Trusting God's Plans: Joy in Closed Doors
Summary
In 2 Samuel 7, we encounter a profound narrative about King David, a man after God's own heart, who desired to build a temple for the Lord. Despite his noble intentions, God said no, reserving this task for David's son, Solomon. This story resonates with many of us who have faced closed doors in our lives, especially when we have good intentions and plans that we believe would glorify God. David's experience teaches us about the mystery of God's providence and the importance of trusting His plans, even when they differ from our own.
David's heart was in the right place. He was living in a house of cedar, a symbol of comfort and blessing, and he felt compelled to do something significant for God. His concern was genuine, as he compared his own comfort with the modest dwelling of the Ark of God. This reflection led him to desire to invest in God's work, a process that is echoed later by the prophet Haggai. However, God had different plans for David, plans that involved battles and securing peace for Israel, which would eventually allow Solomon to build the temple.
When God says no, our faith is tested in several ways. First, it challenges our love for God. If our desire to serve is truly for Him, our love should remain steadfast, regardless of whether we get to fulfill our plans. Second, it tests our love for others. We should find joy in others receiving blessings, even if they are the ones fulfilling the roles we desired. Lastly, it tests our understanding of grace. God's blessings are not earned but given freely, and our joy should ultimately rest in what God has done for us, not in what we do for Him.
David's story reminds us that God's plans are often beyond our understanding, but they are always for our good and His glory. Our joy should be rooted in the grace and salvation we have received, not in our accomplishments or the roles we play. This perspective helps us navigate the disappointments and closed doors in life, trusting that God is working all things for His purpose.
Key Takeaways:
1. Trust in God's Providence: When God closes a door, it is not necessarily a reflection of our inadequacy or wrongdoing. David's desire to build the temple was noble, yet God had a different plan for him. Trusting in God's providence means accepting that His plans are higher than ours, even when they remain a mystery. [06:46]
2. Love for God Beyond Service: Our love for God should not be contingent on our ability to serve Him in the ways we desire. True love for God remains constant, whether or not we get to fulfill our plans. This love is tested when God says no, revealing the depth of our devotion. [20:18]
3. Joy in Others' Success: Loving others as ourselves means rejoicing in their blessings and successes as much as we would in our own. David exemplified this by finding joy in Solomon's opportunity to build the temple, demonstrating a selfless love that prioritizes God's glory over personal ambition. [26:37]
4. Understanding Grace: Grace is about what God does for us, not what we do for Him. Our joy should be rooted in the grace we have received, which is unearned and freely given. This understanding helps us find peace and contentment, even when our plans do not come to fruition. [30:12]
5. Finding Joy in God's Work: Our ultimate joy should lie in what God has done and continues to do for us, rather than in our own achievements. This perspective shifts our focus from our activities to God's grace, providing a stable foundation for joy irrespective of life's circumstances. [34:18]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:14] - Introduction to 2 Samuel 7
- [00:28] - David's Desire to Build the Temple
- [01:04] - When God Closes a Door
- [03:05] - David's Blessings and Reflections
- [05:22] - David's Plan and God's Response
- [06:22] - The Mystery of God's Providence
- [08:05] - David's Right Heart and Motives
- [10:04] - The Right Concern and Goal
- [12:16] - God's Commendation of David's Desire
- [14:40] - God's Unexpected No
- [16:17] - God's Different Plan for David
- [19:41] - Responding to God's No
- [20:18] - Testing of Faith and Love for God
- [26:37] - Testing of Love for Others
- [30:12] - Understanding Grace
- [34:18] - Finding Joy in God's Work
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
- 2 Samuel 7:1-11
- 1 Kings 8:18
- Deuteronomy 29:29
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Observation Questions:
1. What was David's initial desire regarding the temple, and how did God respond to this desire? ([06:22])
2. How did David's living conditions contrast with the dwelling place of the Ark of God, and what concern did this raise for him? ([08:19])
3. What role did Nathan the prophet play in David's plan to build the temple? ([13:56])
4. How does the sermon describe the nature of the battles David was involved in, and what was their significance for Israel's future? ([17:23])
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Interpretation Questions:
1. Why might God have chosen to say no to David's plan to build the temple, and what does this reveal about God's providence? ([06:46])
2. How does David's response to God's "no" demonstrate his love for God, and what can this teach us about our own responses to disappointment? ([24:30])
3. In what ways does the sermon suggest that David's faith was tested when God closed the door on his plans? ([20:18])
4. How does the concept of grace, as discussed in the sermon, help us understand the nature of God's blessings and our response to them? ([30:12])
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a time when God closed a door on something you desired. How did you respond, and what did you learn about your faith and trust in God's plans? ([15:28])
2. How can you cultivate a love for God that remains steadfast, even when your plans do not come to fruition? What practical steps can you take to deepen this love? ([21:21])
3. Think of a situation where someone else received a blessing or opportunity you desired. How can you genuinely rejoice in their success and see it as part of God's greater plan? ([26:54])
4. Consider the resources and blessings you have received. How can you use them to invest in God's work, even if it looks different from what you initially planned? ([09:03])
5. How does understanding grace change your perspective on your accomplishments and the roles you play in life? How can this understanding bring you peace and contentment? ([30:33])
6. Identify an area in your life where you are struggling to find joy in God's work. What steps can you take to shift your focus from your own achievements to what God is doing for you? ([34:18])
7. How can you ensure that your joy is rooted in what God has done for you, rather than in your own activities or successes? What practices can help reinforce this perspective? ([35:37])
Devotional
Day 1: Trusting in God's Mysterious Plans
David's desire to build a temple for God was noble, yet God had a different plan for him. This teaches us that when God closes a door, it is not necessarily a reflection of our inadequacy or wrongdoing. Trusting in God's providence means accepting that His plans are higher than ours, even when they remain a mystery. David's experience reminds us that God's plans are often beyond our understanding, but they are always for our good and His glory. Our joy should be rooted in the grace and salvation we have received, not in our accomplishments or the roles we play. This perspective helps us navigate the disappointments and closed doors in life, trusting that God is working all things for His purpose. [06:46]
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8-9, ESV)
Reflection: Think of a recent disappointment or closed door in your life. How can you trust that God's plan is better, even if you don't understand it right now?
Day 2: Unconditional Love for God
Our love for God should not be contingent on our ability to serve Him in the ways we desire. True love for God remains constant, whether or not we get to fulfill our plans. This love is tested when God says no, revealing the depth of our devotion. David's heart was in the right place, and his concern was genuine, yet he accepted God's different plan for him. This teaches us that our love for God should be steadfast, regardless of whether we get to fulfill our plans. [20:18]
"Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation." (Habakkuk 3:17-18, ESV)
Reflection: In what ways can you express your love for God today, even if you are unable to serve Him in the ways you desire?
Day 3: Rejoicing in Others' Blessings
Loving others as ourselves means rejoicing in their blessings and successes as much as we would in our own. David exemplified this by finding joy in Solomon's opportunity to build the temple, demonstrating a selfless love that prioritizes God's glory over personal ambition. This challenges us to find joy in others receiving blessings, even if they are the ones fulfilling the roles we desired. [26:37]
"Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." (Philippians 2:4, ESV)
Reflection: Think of someone who has received a blessing or opportunity you desired. How can you genuinely celebrate their success today?
Day 4: Embracing Grace
Grace is about what God does for us, not what we do for Him. Our joy should be rooted in the grace we have received, which is unearned and freely given. This understanding helps us find peace and contentment, even when our plans do not come to fruition. David's story reminds us that God's blessings are not earned but given freely, and our joy should ultimately rest in what God has done for us. [30:12]
"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved." (Ephesians 2:4-5, ESV)
Reflection: Reflect on a recent moment when you felt undeserving of God's grace. How can you embrace and celebrate His grace in your life today?
Day 5: Finding Joy in God's Work
Our ultimate joy should lie in what God has done and continues to do for us, rather than in our own achievements. This perspective shifts our focus from our activities to God's grace, providing a stable foundation for joy irrespective of life's circumstances. David's story encourages us to find joy in God's work and His plans, trusting that they are for our good and His glory. [34:18]
"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." (Ephesians 3:20-21, ESV)
Reflection: What is one way you can shift your focus from your own achievements to finding joy in what God is doing in your life today?
Quotes
David had it in his heart to do something great for God, but the good thing that he wanted to do for God was not given to him. That opportunity was given to someone else. It really is a story that speaks directly to all of us in something that we will all at some point in life experience. [00:01:45]
What do you do when God closes the door on something good that you had in your heart to do for him? You had a great idea, and good and godly people give you encouragement to press forward with it. You felt sure, now if I do this, this will really be for the glory of God. [00:02:10]
When God says no to something good that you want to do, why did God say no? Why would God close the door for David that a generation later he opened for someone else? We don't find it easy to live with the mystery of God's providence, so of course, we always look for an explanation. [00:06:36]
When something good is on your heart and the door closes, you may very well find what it must be that I've done something wrong. That may be your first instinct, and you may feel that God somehow has it in for you, that he doesn't love you after all, that he's closed the door on something good that you wanted to offer to him. [00:07:32]
David's heart here was indeed good. He had the right concern, he had the right goal, he had the right motive, and he had the right process. Let's just walk through that in the story. First, the right concern. The king said to Nathan the prophet, see now I dwell in a house of cedar, but the Ark of God dwells in a tent. [00:08:00]
When God says no, your faith is going to be tested. When God says no, his promise stands secured. We look at the first here today. When God says no, when something that's in your heart proves not to be the door that he opens for you, your faith is going to be tested, and it will be tested in three ways. [00:20:14]
If it is really true that you want to do something for God, your love for him will be the same whether you get to do it or not. If it's really for God, your love for him will be the same whether you get to do it or not. And therefore, when God says no, your love for him will immediately be tested. [00:21:02]
The second calling of God upon your life, according to Jesus, you love God with all of your heart, that's the first, and here's the second, you love your neighbor as yourself. You love your brother, your sister, you love the person next to you as much as you love yourself. [00:26:35]
Grace means that all of God's kindness and all of his gifts are given to us freely. It means that God's blessing is not earned, it's not a response to what we've done, it's not a reward for the investment that we have made or the degree to which we have extended ourselves. [00:30:12]
David, make sure that your joy isn't lying in what you get to do for me. Make sure, David, that your joy ultimately lies in what I am doing and will do for you. [00:34:18]
In all the joy of what you get to do for Jesus, don't let your joy lie in what you do for Jesus. Let your joy lie in what Jesus does for you. Otherwise, you will be distraught when disappointment comes and when he closes a door that you thought he would open. [00:35:54]
Don't set your joy in what you get to do, but in what he, the Lord and the Savior, has done for you. And you know what, when you know what it costs the Savior for your name to be written in that book of life, for your sins to be forgiven, for your eternal future to be secured, you will find such great joy in what he has done for you. [00:38:09]
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