Trust The LORD

David is king.  People wanted to honor David, so they built him a great cedar palace.  David wanted to honor The LORD, so he tried to build God a beautiful cedar building for the Ark of the Covenant.  God essentially said, “No, thank you.  But I do want to talk about the future with you.”

"Now go and say to My servant David, 'This is what the LORD of Heaven's Armies has declared: I took you from tending sheep in the pasture and selected you to be the leader of My people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have destroyed all your enemies before your eyes. Now I will make your name as famous as anyone who has ever lived on the earth!’” (2 Samuel 7:8-9 NLT)

“David,” God was saying, “Your future will be great.  You can trust what I say about your future because of what you have seen me do in your life in the past.”

And I will provide a homeland for My people Israel, planting them in a secure place where they will never be disturbed. Evil nations won't oppress them as they've done in the past, starting from the time I appointed judges to rule My people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. (2 Samuel 7:10-11a NLT)

“Israel,” God was saying, “ I will bless you in the future as well.  You can trust me because of my work in your lives in the past.”

Furthermore, the LORD declares that He will make a house for you--a dynasty of kings! For when you die and are buried with your ancestors, I will raise up one of your descendants, your own offspring, and I will make his kingdom strong. He is the one who will build a house--a temple--for My name. And I will secure his royal throne forever. (2 Samuel 7:11b-13 NLT)

The Israelites could look back and remember that The LORD set them free from Egyptian oppression, sustained them in the desert, and helped them flourish in the land that God had promised to their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  David could look back and remember that The LORD selected him to be king as a poor shepherd boy, gave him victory over Goliath, kept him safe from Saul’s attempts to murder him, and worked everything together for his good so that he became king over all Israel.

How about you?  Do you see what The LORD has done for you  in the past?  Does it bring you joy to look back at those moments?  Do those times in your past help you trust The LORD with your future?