Today’s 333 Devotional: “God’s Greater Purpose”

The Bible says that while we take great effort to plan our ways, God is the one who eventually gets His way.

Solomon said, “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” (Proverbs 16:9)

God’s plans and purposes are not always what we want or what we are working towards, which ends up resulting in a different outcome than what we had anticipated.

Take for instance King David. It was his desire to build God a temple, a place for the Ark of God to dwell. Up to this point the Ark had been dwelling in a beat-up old tent, but David wanted something far greater and on a grander scale.

What David wanted wasn’t wrong; it just wasn’t God’s plan for David to build it. Instead, God pegged David’s son, Solomon, to build His temple.

David’s heart was in the right place, and there was nothing wrong in David’s request. God didn’t rebuke David; instead, God blessed David, and allowed him to get everything ready for Solomon to build, including the design and materials.

But God did have a greater blessing for David. Instead of giving him a temple to build, God gave him a dynasty to be the head of, which would see its ultimate fulfillment in the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ.

“And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.” (2 Samuel 7:16)

The Gospel of Matthew reveals Jesus’s genealogy and reveals that He is a direct descendant of David. It says, “Jesus Christ, the son of David.” (Matthew 1:1)

How does this relate to us? When God denies our desire, check out the spirit and motive in which we had asked. Often times it’s completely selfish.

But even if our motives are right, they still may not be within God’s plans. Don’t despair, instead wait upon the Lord and He will lift you up and give you an even greater promise and purpose.