Not everything God blesses is something He initiated.

Sometimes we move first.

Take the temple, for example.

God never asked for it. In fact, he seemed opposed to it at first.

When David said he wanted to build a house for the Lord, God responded with something like, “Did I ever say I needed a house?”

He reminded David that from the time He led Israel out of Egypt, He had never dwelled in a building made by human hands, and he had never once asked someone to build him a fancy temple.

And yet, God didn’t rebuke David. Later, after David passes, we’re told that God told David, “you did well to have this in your heart.”

Later, when Solomon finally built the temple, God said, “I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name there forever.”

He blessed it and filled it with His presence. Yet he never asked for it.

That’s the tension.

Sometimes God calls. Sometimes we respond. And sometimes, it’s hard to tell which came first.

We see this all throughout Scripture.

Sometimes there are clear assignments, and sometimes there are offerings that people brought to God from their own heart. And he honored both.

David had a heart for God, so he dreamed of doing something big for Him. And God said, I see your heart, and that’s what I care about most.

We want clear lines. We want certainty. But that’s not how relationships work.

God gives us freedom to offer, to dream for Him, and to bring gifts.

And when the heart behind it is His, He blesses it whether it was His idea or not.

So don’t wait for clarity if the desire in you is to please God.

Mother Teresa was once asked by someone to pray for clarity. She responded with this:

“No, I will not do that. Clarity is the last thing you are clinging to and must let go of.”

She continued with, “I have never had clarity; what I have always had is trust. So I will pray that you trust God.”

Don’t be afraid to move toward something good, even if you’re unsure He asked you to.

Sometimes God plants the desire, and sometimes He simply blesses it – when it’s done in order.

Faith isn’t a formula. It’s a complex, ambiguous relationship.

And sometimes, it’s about acting in faith when you don’t have certainty.