I wonder how many people reading this remember the original Karate Kid? Remember how frustrated Daniel was getting with Mr. Miyagi? Daniel wanted to learn karate from Mr. Miyagi, but thought he was wasting his time and just doing house repairs for Mr. Miyagi. It wasn’t until Daniel got into karate tournaments that he finally realized that Mr. Miyagi had been teaching him karate the whole time. The house work was preparation.
Have you ever felt like you were wasting your time with some things in life? Have you ever wondered, is this really all there is to life? I think we all go through those moments, when we wonder what God is doing. We are going to see this in the life of David in our text today. David had settled into Jerusalem and had his palace built. The ark of the covenant had finally come to Jerusalem. David looks at his house, and then considers the home of the ark of the covenant, the very representation of God being with Israel, and he wanted to do something. David didn’t think it was right that he was living in a great palace, while God resided in a tent. Therefore, David expressed his desire to Nathan, who was a prophet, to build a home for the ark of the covenant. God spoke to Nathan, and told Nathan to tell David that while it was admirable to want to build a home for the ark of the covenant, David wasn’t going to be the one to do it. However, David’s son would be the one to build it. 2 Samuel 7 gives us the Davidic covenant, the promise from God that someone from the lineage of David would always be on the throne in Israel. Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of this covenant. What David didn’t know is that his time tending sheep for his father was God preparing him to lead the nation of Israel one day. 2 Samuel 7:8 says, “Now therefore, thus shall you say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel.'”
All that time in the pasture learning to be a shepherd was David’s schooling for leading a nation. God doesn’t waste an experience in our life. Everything in meant to draw us closer to God, and it is preparation for what God is going to do in us and through us that we might glorify Him with our lives. Even in the midst of this quarantine, God is working in us, and at the right time He will work through His children for His glory and the good of those around us. So what should we do while we wait?
- Trust God. Just because we don’t see what God is doing, doesn’t mean that God isn’t up to something. When you can’t see the hands of God moving, trust the character of God. Remember that He is good, gracious, merciful, forgiving, and loving.
- Trust the process. Just like Daniel didn’t understand what Mr. Miyagi was doing was going to prepare him for karate tournaments; you and I are often tempted to believe that what God is doing now, has no meaning or impact for what is coming. However, that simply isn’t true. Again, God doesn’t waste an experience in our life.
- Be patient. This goes to the first two points. I’m sure you have heard the saying, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” One of my favorite Charles Spurgeon quotes is, “by perseverance the snail made it to the ark.” I’m convinced that many times we miss out on what God desires to do in and through our lives, because we give up too soon. Don’t give up, keep trusting God, and keep putting one foot in front of the other. When the time is right, it will make sense.
- Praise God in the meantime. Don’t allow fear or frustration over the future to rob you of your joy in the present. While you are waiting on God to prepare you, learn to praise Him and worship Him. Even if you never see what God was doing the whole time, He is still worthy of our praise and worship.
I hope this will help us see that God is working behind the scenes, and that God is going to continue to work miracles for His glory and our good. I believe when COVID-19 is over, the result will be a stronger, more pure church if we trust Him and we worship Him through the hard times.
By His grace and for His glory,
Pastor Justin