It’s Good, But Not God
June 9, 2021·Matthew Grant
I Chronicles 13
Sometimes, new things are not always good. I know, that sounds crazy, but it’s true! Look, like most folk, I love new stuff — shoes and clothes the most! But new methods are not always the best.
God always has a plan or method, but we often love to go our own way, instead of God’s. Proverbs 19:21 teaches us that, “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”
We read in 1 Chronicles 13 that David had a plan: “Let’s bring the Ark of God to Jerusalem, so all the people are blessed by the Glory of God.” That seems noble, right? Well, the problem wasn’t in bringing the Ark back to the temple, it was the way they brought it that was the problem. David put the Ark on a NEW cart that was driven by an ox. They all danced and sang and had some “good ol’ church!” Then, the ox stumbled, the ark almost fell, Uzza reached out to keep it from falling… and the LORD took his life.
When I read this many years ago, I was so confused as to why God would do this. It seemed a bit much, seeing how they were just doing a good thing. However, good things are not always God things! God had specifically given Moses instruction on how to carry the Ark, and David, though his heart was in the right place, did not do it the way God said. New things may seem great, but God’s way is always best. Even when we question whether it makes sense, God knows why He tells us to do it His way, even if He doesn’t reveal that to us.
What I will say next is hard to hear, but important: Most times, your new way will cause more devastation than you expect. Uzza reached out to keep the Ark from falling, but that would never have needed to happen had David just done things the way God intended. Your faith is reserved for your belief in God. Your belief that God knows best, even when you think you know better. When my heart comes up with a plan that God has not endorsed, I’m not the only one affected by the results. Everyone connected to me is affected too. More importantly, I miss out on the blessing of the Lord, because I did the “new good thing” and not the “right God thing.”
God does not want us just to look good doing “godly” things, God wants us to be good doing GOD things. So, if that means you have to wait longer, trust harder, and pray deeper, do it! The new cart is not always the best way — God designed the Ark with the Glory of God to be carried by people, not on a cart. And even though it may seem heavy (the Glory), He trusts you and fits you to carry it.
Remember: The new thing is not always the God thing!
Matthew Grant
