1Ki 8:19 Nevertheless thou shalt not build the house; but thy son that shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build the house unto my name.

It was David’s desire to build a house for Jehovah God. But God said no. Why? God said: “Thou shalt not build an house for my name, because thou hast been a man of war, and hast shed blood” (1 Chronicles 28:3). Instead, God chose his son Solomon to build Him a house. The reason God rejected David’s desire to build the temple was because David had shed blood. The problem lies with David. Similarly, we might have the desire to do certain things for God but it wasn’t meant to be. Perhaps we might not be the best person to do it: “But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work” (2 Timothy 2:20, 21). I’m sure you are familiar with this saying: Man Proposes, God Disposes. The proverb means, men can make whatever plans they want, but in the end, God is the one who decides what actually happens. Ultimately, it is the forces outside of our control that determine whether our plans fail or succeed. An example was the sinking of the Titanic, the supposedly unsinkable ship, sank on its maiden voyage. It was reported that someone (could be the design engineer, the captain, owner, or a worker) said that even God Himself could not sink the ship. Well, it didn’t need the almighty God to sink it; an iceberg did the job. Proverbs 19:21 reads: “There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.” God is Omniscient; He possesses infinite knowledge. He knows the future. He sees into the future. God knows what is going to happen if we get the things we ask for. He knows that we don’t always ask for things that are good for us and our spiritual welfare. But God knows what is good for us. An example was Abraham. God promised Abraham a seed. Abraham had to wait. But Abraham was impatient and sought to fulfil the will of God the human way. It was disaster to his family and his descendants. He pleaded with God to accept Ishmael (Genesis 17:18). God said no! God knew what kind of people the descendants of Ishmael would become. David desired to build a temple for God. God said no! The apostle Paul asked God to remove a thorn in the flesh that was bothering him; God said no! (2 Corinthians 12:8, 9) God will not always give us everything we want, but He will always give us the things that we really need. We pray for prosperity, but financial stress is given. The outcome is our souls are made stronger; we become more faithful and active as children of God. We pray for health, but affliction is given. The result is we turn to God in prayers more fervently. We begin to appreciate spiritual things above material things. We are also better able to sympathise with those in affliction. We may protest: “I don’t want afflictions. I don’t want poverty. I don’t want sickness.” Question: What will become of us if God should remove all “evil” from our lives? Let me give you a scenario. Supposed you were a parent and you were afraid your child might walk and fall and so you do not allow his feet to touch the ground; you carry him all his life. What will become of him? He is unable to walk by himself. His muscles would be so weak they die because of lack of use. If God were overprotective of us, we will become weak like that child who has never learned to walk. Hence, do you think it is good if God carries you throughout your life and clear all the obstacles in life for you? You may pray for it; God says no! He knows afflictions are good for us: “Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word” (Psalm 110:67).