When We Will Have Peace

2 Samuel 7:18-22 KJV

Then went king David in, and sat before the LORD, and he said, Who am I, O Lord GOD? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto?

And this was yet a small thing in thy sight, O Lord GOD; but thou hast spoken also of thy servant's house for a great while to come. And is this the manner of man, O Lord GOD?

 And what can David say more unto thee? for thou, Lord GOD, knowest thy servant.

For thy word's sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all these great things, to make thy servant know them.

Wherefore thou art great, O LORD God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

David had a dream to do something great for the Lord. 

He had spent years in flight from Saul and in a contest against Saul's son. But here he finds himself in a time of peace and rest. The kingdom was solidified and the ark was back in the tabernacle. It was at this point when David got the idea to build a house for the Lord. Why he asked the prophet rather than the priest I cannot tell but even the prophet thought this was of the Lord. It seemed so reasonable, so right. 

But it was not God's will. 

After God had spoken to the prophet, Nathan was able to give David more than a "yes" or "no" concerning the temple. David learned that a temple would indeed be built, but not by David. It would be the labor of his son. Nathan also expressed God's promise of blessings upon the family of David; a promise that reached its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. 

There are times when we would like to know the future promise of God for our lives, as David was blessed to know. But there is an application for us. Whenever God says "no" to our dream it is because He has a greater vision planned than what we could have dreamed.

• If we trust the Lord
• If we will believe that
• If we learn to wait upon the Lord in all things

Then we will have true peace.