GETTING IT RIGHT

2 Samuel 7:1-8:18; John 14:15-31; Psalm 119:33-48; Proverbs 15:33

“Nathan replied to the king, ‘Go ahead and do whatever you have in mind, for the Lord is with you.’ But that same night the Lord said to Nathan, ‘Go and tell my servant David, “This is what the Lord has declared: Are you the one to build a house for me to live in?  I have never lived in a house, from the day I brought the Israelites out of Egypt until this very day. I have always moved from one place to another with a tent and a Tabernacle as my dwelling.”’”

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.”

“Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through your word. Reassure me of your promise, made to those who fear you. Help me abandon my shameful ways; for your regulations are good."

“Fear of the Lord teaches wisdom; humility precedes honor.”

Even prophets and kings get ahead of the Spirit once in a while, and that actually encourages me. If Nathan can get well-meaning things confused with the things of God, the rest of us can probably cut ourselves a little slack when initial enthusiasm for a project does not pan out. The amazing thing is, when Nathan finally did hear the word of the Lord, he was man enough to go straight to David and set the record straight. He could have pridefully stuck to his initial direction and never let David know God felt differently. But he didn’t. He admitted his error immediately, and as a result, saved David a lot of wasted and uninspired work. Nathan’s meekness (teachability) and humility assured the Temple would be built in the Holy Spirit’s time by the one most suited and divinely appointed to do the job. This, in turn, gave David the courage to be patient and wait on the Lord.

Boy, this is way different from how I usually respond to what I think is inspiration! If I have a “right” idea, it’s usually tough to dissuade me. Barriers and pragmatic hurdles are no big deal. Jesus will overcome, right? I typically just move ahead, attempting to dictate to the Spirit how we’ll succeed together, instead of waiting on His spiritual confirmation and leadership. Furthermore, I don’t handle disappointment well. Even if Christ does clearly say no or not yet, my inclination is to forge ahead and try to prove Him wrong. Sometimes, it’s even surprising what a little “sweat equity” can accomplish. But that doesn’t make it right. That just makes it all about me. Prideful achievements usually end up being the most ill-conceived failures.

For example, I once was asked to start a new, young marrieds Sunday school class. What an awesome calling and opportunity, I thought! Our church was growing by leaps and bounds, young couples were a desperately underserved demographic, and I was all ready to be God’s messenger to them. As expected, we started with just a few couples. My lessons were some of the best I’ve ever put together. Intellectually, they were challenging, and they spoke and realistically applied the Gospel. But the class went nowhere and quickly died. “Why, God?” I finally cried out in painful prayer. “How could you have abandoned my efforts?”

“Because they had nothing to do with My Plan, Tom. This was not your appointed ministry,” was the blunt but ultimately loving reply. It brought me a new humility and respect for the importance of waiting on God’s timing. Later prayer also provided the litmus test I still use today to help discern God’s Will from good ideas. Simply, if it doesn’t make my soul sing, I no longer attempt it. I’m not sure I can articulate how I have learned to find the will of God any better than the “soul sing” test. It has little to do with good ideas or even my own heart. Lots of great ideas bloom in initial enthusiasm only to fade in execution. My saving grace at this point in life is learning to let ideas mature just a bit before acting on them, and cutting losses early on any project which becomes more prideful obligation than spiritual opportunity. Most important, the Spirit is teaching me to spend more time in prayer up front; this really does matter.

Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit for a reason: to teach us and lead us ever closer to the Father. But as Scripture says, the ways of the Spirit are not our ways. This is usually applied in a negative sense, referring to our sin, but it has equal applicability to our good works as well. We need to intentionally set aside time to pray and listen more carefully and determinedly first, before doing what we think is right. Only act when we get divine confirmation. Another litmus test is that the things of God will survive the wait. If not truly, divinely inspired, they die in the incubation period of discernment. A little early patience can save a lot of embarrassment. Waiting on the Lord in prayer is not “doing nothing;” it’s proper preparation.

Plainly, our good can get in the way of God’s best. When it does, it’s no less a distraction than affirmative sin. Only after letting go of the young marrieds class was I free to serve Couples for Christ, which Christ has been growing exponentially, but patiently, for over five years now.