Deferred Dreams

Published April 29, 2026

2 Chronicles 6

Wednesday, April 29, 2026 l Joe Robideaux

2 Chronicles 6:7-9 Now it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 8 But the Lord said to David my father, ‘Whereas it was in your heart to build a house for my name, you did well that it was in your heart.9 Nevertheless, it is not you who shall build the house, but your son who shall be born to you shall build the house for my name.’

I played baseball and pitched for a long time when I was younger. When you play a team sport, you know that you’re just one of many who are a part of the team. However, there are some positions… like a pitcher in baseball or a quarterback in football or a point guard in basketball… that have their “hands on the ball” more often than others.

The ones that play those positions, I think have their personalities influenced a little more than they realize by that fact. Me, for instance, I often like to accomplish things myself. I enjoy the feeling of seeing something I’ve worked on come to fruition. I like being part of the action.

In the passage above, Solomon tells us David wanted to be part of the action too. He wanted to build the temple.

But, God told him someone else was going to do it.

The question before all of us is… are we willing to serve and work for God even if we don’t see the end result? Do we share the gospel and pour into other’s lives because we believe God is going to use it? Or, deep down, are we hoping to “feel good” because we “did good”?

There’s grace if it’s been the latter. But, as we move forward, let’s pray that God would empower us to serve and love others with His heart and not just our own.

WALK IN THE WAY READING PLAN ADDITIONAL RESOURCES