I gave your master's house to you...

"I gave your master's house to you, and your master's wives into your arms. I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more." 2 Samuel 12:8

This verse from Samuel has made an immense impact on my life. The night I stumbled across this, God confronted me on some very serious issues in my life. Specifically on my attitude towards things that I had asked for in my life, things I had been diligently praying for and believing to come to pass, that I had yet to see. It really made me question if I actually even wanted the things I was asking for.

I see people praying for and asking for the perfect spouse in their lives, and then they get bent out of shape when its been five or six years and they haven't seen anything. I've been guilty of it. But the question we should be asking isn't "Will God do this?" it's "Do I really want to wait?" 'Cause here's the deal, you can either have things done right or you can have them done quickly. You can't have both.

Look at David, look at this statement. Well after he inherited the kingdom. But when did he ask for it and when did he get it? Go back and look how long it took for Saul to die and David to take over. IT TOOK NEARLY FIFTH-TEEN YEARS. I can't even imagine being a fugitive from your own land for fifth-teen years. That's insane. I'm betting David waited longer than that though. I imagine he asked for the kingdom when he was sitting there tending the sheep. So God left him there. Told him, tend my sheep. Show me what king of steward you are. And when the Lions and the Bears came, God saw what kind of man was watching his sheep. You ever wonder what Jesus was referencing when he said that good Shepard lays his life down for his sheep? Yeah sure it was the cross. But David had already given a pretty good example hundreds of years before. What kind of boy when a lion or a bear shows up to attack the flock stands in between them?

So he stayed there and stewarded the sheep. Then when he went to give food to his brothers, he heard someone speaking ill of his God and his kingdom and what does he do? He gets in the way. Think about it for a moment. What kind of king was God looking for? The kind that put God and His sheep first. David asked to become king and God put him in situations that forced him to either become the man God needed or give up on the idea completely. 

Do you really want to wait for the person God has for you? For the job He has for you? For the house or the car or the ministry He has for you? Because if you really want it, chances are there are somethings you're going to need to work out. And its going to take time and its going to take some serious courage. If you're not willing to test what kind of man or women you are, if you're not willing to bend or break for what you're asking for... you really need to think if it is what you really want. Because God says that if you ask for it, He will give it freely. That spouse isn't going to be the person you want in your life if YOU aren't the person you're supposed to be. That car won't do you any good if you can't take care of it. That house won't stay standing if you don't know how to maintain it. That job, that ministry will eat you alive if you're not ready to do it. 

Whatever you do, lets be clear. God is not holding anything back from you. You're prayers aren't going unanswered. You're requests aren't being ignored. But don't you dare ask if you aren't willing to wait.