LORD, DO AS YOU HAVE SAID!
TEXT:
"Therefore now, LORD, let the thing that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant and concerning his house be established for ever, and do as thou hast said." (1st Chronicles 17 verse 23, King James Version).
If there's anything the matter with us today as God's Children, it's with us believing and trusting God to do what He's said. In 1st Chronicles chapter 17, we have a beautiful example of King David laid before us of what it is to trust God for what He has said.
King David had proposed to build a house for the Lord and Prophet Nathan, upon hearing this, gave an express approval to David saying, "Do all that is in thine heart; for God is with thee." (1st Chronicles 17 verse 2). But later on that same night, the Word of the Lord came to Nathan expressing His disapproval of David to do so; choosing rather his Seed after him to do this noble task. The Lord did not stop at that, but went on to speak about building for David a house, together with other good things He'd do to the house of David well after his death (see 1st Chronicles 17 verses 4 to 16).
It was in response to God's promises through Nathan the prophet that David uttered what is our Scripture reading for today saying, "Therefore now, LORD, let the thing that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant and concerning his house be established for ever, and do as thou hast said."
In other words, David was expressing his faith in what God had said concerning him and praying to the Lord to do as He had said.
The question I put before you this morning, dearly beloved of God is: Can you, like David, put your finger on any of the numerous promises of God in His Word and say "let the thing that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant … be established for ever, and do as thou hast said."? If you can do so, it depicts an expression of faith in God which cannot go unrewarded.
It has been rightly said that every promise of Scripture is a writing of God, which may be pleaded before Him with this reasonable request: “Do as Thou hast said.” To plead thus is an expression of hope in God's Word. In other words, you are asking Him to keep His Word to you because it has given you hope.
“Remember the word unto thy servant, on which thou hast caused me to hope,” (Psalms 119 verse 49).
It's like saying, 'Lord, this is Your Word, will You not keep it? Why have You spoken it if You will not keep it?. Having spoken it, You have caused me to hope in it, so therefore do it for me."
For sure, God will not let His Word return onto Him void, but will hasten His Word to perform it (see Isaiah 55 verse 11 and Jeremiah 1 verse 12).
From now henceforth, learn to go back to God with His Word and say to Him like David said: "Do as Thou hast said.” Nothing can be as pleasing to God than this, because it shows your hope and faith in Him which, like I said, will not go unrewarded.
PRAYER:
Father, do as You have said to me, in Jesus name.