When God says No

2 Samuel 7: 18-22 (A portion of David’s Prayer)

¹⁸ Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said: “Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? ¹⁹ And as if this were not enough in your sight, Sovereign Lord, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant—and this decree, Sovereign Lord, is for a mere human! ²⁰ “What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, Sovereign Lord. ²¹ For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant. ²² “How great you are, Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. 

As the text in this chapter of scripture unfolds, we learn that David was well settled and enjoying a time of peace in Jerusalem. While resting in his beautiful cedar house, he contemplated the contrast of him living in a palace of cedar while the ark of the covenant remained in a tent, and an idea birthed in David’s heart, to build a temple for the Lord. David’s motive was not steeped in pride or selfish reasons; it was with pure intent to serve God and bring Him glory, as 1 Kings 8:18 tells us “But the Lord said to David, you did well to have it in your heart to build a temple for My Name.”

David confided his thoughts to Nathan the prophet, whose first response was to encourage him to follow through with his plans: “Go ahead and do it, for the Lord is with you”. But soon after, the word of the Lord came to prophet Nathan.

God said ‘no’ to David’s desire. Building the temple was not what God had planned for David. David would not build a house for God, but God declared that He will build a house for him! When we read the entirety of God’s revelation in 2 Samuel 7:5-16, we learn the plans God had for David and it surpassed David’s in more ways than he could have imagined. Disclosed in God’s reply were plans He had not only for David’s life, but for the construction of the temple by his son Solomon, David’s descendants, and the nation of Israel!

Let’s look at David’s response to God’s ‘no’ to him building the temple, the entirety of His prayerful response to God can be read in 2 Samuel 7: 18-29.

“Who am I, O Sovereign Lord…” With those six initial words, David sets the tone of his prayer. He comes in humility, in worship, and in recognition of God’s sovereignty. David did not retreat from God, but with thankfulness worshipped Him for all that God had done for him and bringing him to where he was. David stops and focuses not on God’s no, but thanks Him for His “yeses”! He praised God, he thanked Him and welcomed God’s promises and plans over his life.

I am not always sure that my initial response to a ‘no’ from God is like David’s, but what a beautiful example of faith, obedience and surrender David shows here. In this situation, God’s ‘no’ is laced with much promise from God for David and his people. The stark reality is that at times we might understand with time the why of God’s no, but there also will be times when a ‘no’ from God is something that is difficult to comprehend and we have to live with the pain of it, for example, the loss of a loved one.

We may never know the reasoning behind God’s plan during these times, and it is precisely in these times we must choose not to turn from Him, but to Him. And let us intentionally focus on acknowledging God’s sovereignty, His faithful, loving nature and remind ourselves of the many ways God is always there for us and thank Him for it. When we do not understand His plan, may we choose to trust His heart.

God Bless.