Go and tell My servant David, Thus says the Lord: Shall you build Me a house in which to dwell? – 2 Samuel 7:5, Amplified Bible

Every now and then, you’ll have a strong desire to do something for The Lord, but He just won’t let you do it. Your motives are pure, and you have only His work and His glory in mind. But it doesn’t matter; He just won’t give you the go ahead. Sometimes He will simply delay the project you have in mind until a later time in your life. Other times, He may not allow you to pursue the project at all, leaving the work to another. Either way, it is natural to get frustrated when told “no,” especially when the project was meant to be God-serving, not self-serving. But we mustn’t act naturally. We must simply obey and rest in the fact that God knows best and that we cannot always get what we want.

King David greatly desired to honor God with a house of His own, but God left the work to Solomon. (2 Samuel 7:5-17) Paul greatly desired to win souls for Christ in Asia, but God preferred to send him to Macedonia instead. (Acts 16:6) And God will tell us “no” as well when our desire to serve Him points us in a direction that does not follow His perfect plan.

When you feel the Holy Spirit checking you from going down an apparent no-brainer path of service, stop and listen. Be still, know that He is God, and realize your perfect plan is obviously not matching up with His. Don’t confuse God stopping you with God not wanting to use you. If you desire to serve Him, He will definitely provide a way for you to do so. Just be patient, ask for discernment, and look forward to the next opportunity that He grants to you.