Living at the Intersection of God's Way and My Own Way

 

   Under the leadership of King David, Israel decided to return the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. Good decision. Good Intentions. Bad plan!

 

   2 And David said to all the assembly of Israel, "If it seems good to you, and if it is of the Lord our God, let us send out to our brethren everywhere who are left in all the land of Israel, and with them to the priests and Levites who are in their cities and their common-lands, that they may gather together to us;
3 and let us bring the ark of our God back to us, for we have not inquired at it since the days of Saul."
4 Then all the assembly said that they would do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people.  (1 Chronicles 13:2-4 NKJV)

 

   Eventually, the plan fell apart -- 9 And when they came to Chidon's [xr] threshing floor, Uzza put out his hand to hold the ark, for the oxen stumbled. 10 Then the anger of the Lord was aroused against Uzza, and He struck him because he put his hand to the ark; and he died there before God.

 

  Uzza and Ahio drove the new cart: The names of these sons of Abinadab paint a meaningful picture. Uzza means “strength” and Ahio means “friendly.” Neither were sons of Korah. 

 

   Much service for the Lord is like this - a new cart, a big production, with strength leading and friendly out front - yet all done without inquiring of God or looking to His will. Surely David prayed for God’s blessing on this big production, but he didn’t inquire of God regarding the production itself. This was a good thing done the wrong way. (Guzik)

 

  David, Uzza, Ahio, and all of Israel knew that no one, not even the sons of Korah could touch the Ark without dying. Uzza probably never intended to touch it, but his flawed plan

allowed the possibility, and he was God-tazed and died. He had treated the Ark as he would have treated any other valuable thing, but the Ark had more value than all other things. Uzza didn't die at the hardness of the heart of God, but rather for his own disobedience.

   His intention to help was right enough; but there was a profound insensibility to the awful sacredness of the ark, on which even its Levitical bearers were forbidden to lay hands.” (Maclaren)

 

   This story reminds us that God as interested in the ministry process as He is in our ministry results. How they transported the ark mattered to God, but not to David, so the process he chose ruined the result he intended.

 

   When we devote ourselves to ministry, Satan attacks the result we intend by attempting to corrupt the process we employ. We should always examine our methods until we are confident that they align with God's will and His Word. When we do otherwise, we mock the Lord and indicate that we believe that our ways are higher than His ways, and our thoughts higher than His thoughts.

 

   I've suffered ministry failures by exalting the result I intended to the point that it clouded my view of the process (usually while I ignored the voice of my inner Holy Spirit alarm). When the Lord calls us to ministry and requests a result from us, we need to seek Him for the process in prayer instead of immediately building a new cart to carry it.
  

   Three questions emerge:

 

   1- Are you so outcome focused that you have ignored the inward leading of the Lord in your ministry call?

 

   2- Have you recognized that you are cart building, but have so much time, money  and energy invested in the cart that you continue to load it anyway?

 

   3 - Are there Uzzahs around you who are in danger of suffering for touching your faulty ministry plan?

      
   I live at the intersection of God's Way and My Own Way. My daily life is a series of moment to moment choices to obey God or be drawn to the forces competing to draw me to self reliance. While I've never had to go fetch the Ark, Uzzah's scenario resonates in my heart as I plow through my ordinary days. I want to live in God's Will. I want to make God led choices. I remind myself of these desires every day.

   Still, I occasionally find myself loading a cart that the Lord never told me to build.
 

 

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