“In all places where I have walked with all Israel, have I spoken a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people saying, “Why have you not built for me a house of cedar?”
David has the ark of the covenant in Jerusalem and he is witnessing to the Lord blessing him on every side with victory in battle and honor from other nations. At the beginning of chapter 17, he calls in Nathan the prophet and tells him “Behold, I am dwelling in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under curtains.” It happens between the lines of the chapter that David intended to build a place for the ark from cedar as his house is built.
The Lord rebukes David and exposes a heart issue. It seems as if David was too busy being king and did not spend enough time with God. Chapter 17 goes on and the Lord informs David that his son will build a place for the ark. He also informs David that the Lord has been with Israel this whole time and He has never had a place to dwell.
I think sometimes we get caught up in this same loop. We get busy with our lives going and doing and when we slow down a bit, we realize we have put our Christianity on shelf, tucked away, or even worse, left outside under a tent exposed. The ark was a symbol of the covenant between God and the Israelites, it was not God in gold form with two cherubim on top. If we are not careful we can put God in a similar place in our own lives. He occupies a small time period or one day of the week or maybe even a couple days of the calendar year.
Maybe you’re saying, “well Doug I read every day so this does not apply to me.” God wants to become more than just a time slot in your life. He wants to walk with you all the time. How? Simple! Make an effort in every decision to ask what the Lord is leading you to do. Get to know God by reading the Bible every day, not like a book, like a precious letter from a loved one where you hang on every word. The Lord is always speaking to you, are you listening?
Let It Go 
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