Then let us bring again the ark of our God to us, for we did not seek it in the days of Saul.” All the assembly agreed to do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people. (I Chronicles 3:3,4 ESV)
Fear Not… Then Progress
Robert Burns, Scottish Poet extraordinaire, wrote, “The best laid plans of mice and men gang aft aglay.” Once we understand the last phrase to mean, “go oft astray,” we can nod our head in agreement. How often our plans fail to work out as we intend!
And this might make us afraid to plan, to decide, or to map out the future.
But King David understood the importance of planning. He wanted progress, and he wanted it now.
David did not just want progress, though. He wanted the progress that mattered most. He was not concerned with accumulating more wealth. He did not have his eyes fixed on the goal of fame. He had not planned to form the most powerful and influential nation in the Middle East.
He planned to increase his (and the Israelites’) relationship with God.
So soon after David was crowned, he planned to bring the sign of God’s presence, the Ark of the Covenant, back to prominence.
That is progress: more presence of God. That is progress: more knowledge of God. That is progress: more relationship with God. That is progress: more God in our lives.
Our plans will gang aglay if our primary goals are selfish, humanistic, or national.
But yearn for the presence of the One True God in our lives? That is progress! Look daily for ways to think more about Jesus, talk more about Jesus, do more with Jesus? That is progress! Start our day with the intention of, like the ark, seeing God’s hand in every situation? That is progress! Measure our day not through financial totals, popularity comparisons, or examining our feelings… but instead by how much we sought, noticed, and glorified Jesus… THAT is progress.
Fear not, then progress.