I've read about Solomon building the Temple before. I've been in awe of the cedar, the gold, the craftsmanship, and the incredible attention to detail. But this time, one little verse wouldn't let me go.
"No hammer, chisel or any iron tool was heard at the temple while it was being built." (1 Kings 6:7)
The stones were shaped somewhere else.
The work happened in the workshop.
The chiseling took place in the hidden places long before anyone ever saw the finished Temple. And I realized this morning, That has been my life.
For years, I wondered why God seemed so focused on what He was taking away instead of what He was giving. Why everything felt like another cut, another season of waiting. There were wounds I didn't understand, doors that closed, dreams that sat on the shelf, relationships that broke my heart, and seasons when it felt like all God was doing was carving away pieces of me.
I just wanted Him to use me.
But He was shaping me.
Looking back now, I can see the workshop wasn't punishment. It was a time of preparation. God was doing His deepest work in the hidden places, where no one else could see. He was cutting away pride, fear, insecurity, people pleasing, the need to prove myself, and the pain I had carried for years. Every cut had a purpose, even when I couldn't understand it.
The stone couldn't be placed in the Temple until it had first been formed.And Neither could the pieces of my life.
Then right in the middle of all the building plans, God interrupts Solomon. He doesn't talk about the beauty of the Temple or the skill of the builders. Instead He reminds Solomon, "If you walk in My statutes.. then I will dwell among the people of Israel."
That stopped me.
This season isn't really about what God is asking me to build. It's about Who He's asking me to walk with.
It's easy to become so focused on the ministry, the next project, the next calling, or the next opportunity that we begin to think the assignment is the goal.
But the Temple was never the goal.
God's presence was.
I'm watching God put pieces into place now that I prayed about years ago. Doors are opening. Vision is becoming clearer. Things are finally beginning to fit. But I don't want to become so captivated by what He's building through me that I forget what He first built in me. The hidden places weren't wasted. The workshop wasn't a place where God was tearing me down. It was where the Master Builder was making me into someone who could carry what He was calling me to.
Maybe you're in the workshop today. Maybe all you can feel is the pressure of His hands and hear the sound of the chisel. Maybe you're wondering if God has forgotten you because no one sees what He's doing.
He hasn't!
Some of God's greatest work is done in the hidden places. So don't resent the time spent in the workshop. Trust the hands of the Master Builder.
One day you'll look back and realize every cut, every delay, every tear, and every season of waiting was preparing you. Not just for what God wanted you to do, but for the person He was calling you to become.
Before God builds His work through us, He always builds His heart within us first.
Love Pastor Mandy
Ark of Hope Ministry
Daily reading 1 Kings 5-6
In the crushing
In the pressing
You are making
New wine
In the soil, I
Now surrender
You are breaking
New ground
So I yield to You and to Your careful hand
When I trust You I don't need to understand
Make me Your vessel
Make me an offering
Make me whatever You want me to be
I came here with nothing
But all You have given me
Jesus, bring new wine out of me
https://youtu.be/kufVJfkbf2M?is=KHu0QFL2oLBkp-sf
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