TAMPA (FBW)—Ken Whitten, pastor of Idlewild Baptist Church, Tampa, quipped as he began his sermon at 8:30 p.m. Nov. 11, "I don’t know who is lonelier—the third verse of a Baptist hymn or the last speaker in a two-day conference." He reminded those in the audience at the annual meeting of the Florida Baptist State Convention of God’s constant presence, protection and promises — even when God says "no" to one’s pursuit.

Drawing from 2 Samuel 7, which describes David’s sincere desire to build a temple for God, Whitten asked: "Has God ever said no to your pursuit? You may be running hard, but are you running the wrong way? It’s very possible to run in a pursuit, and forget the goal is the goal. The goal is not how big the crowds get, or how big the accolades get. The goal is not to stumble. The goal is to cross the line. The goal is to hear the Savior say, ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant.’ Let Him determine what success is.

"I wonder, in discovering our purpose, if we think that our purpose is always going to be God’s purpose, because sometimes God says no to pursuits.

"Has God ever said no to you? I don’t believe you have walked with God very long if He has not said no.

"You may have children who are married and [having trouble in their marriage.] You have prayed for reconciliation... and God said no. God may have said no to a prayer for healing, and a friend died. Although God is saying yes to a lot of things, hearing no from God is hard."

"As we leave here tonight, I want to see if the Holy Spirit can burn one more time into our hearts what His purpose is," Whitten said. "If you are here as a pastor and are discouraged..., I tell you this is still God’s race and it is still His purpose.

Acts says David, "a man after God’s own heart," served God’s purpose in his generation, he said. However, David wanted to build a temple for God and God said no. God instructed the prophet Nathan to relay His answer to the king.

"I think God said to Nathan, ‘tell David I know his past,’" said Whitten.

"When we suffer disappointment, I think our first instinct is to judge that experience in the light of who we are."

Admitting to being "a recovering performer," Whitten said he would hear Adrian Rogers preach, and say, "That’s what I want to do." He told of meeting Peter Lord in Titusville and hearing of his prayer ministry, and saying, "That’s it. I can do that.

"To understand serving God’s purpose in our generation we have to know that everyone has value. You see where you are; God sees where you’ve been. God saw David when he was following the sheep..., not a good place to be."

Nathan also may have told David "I know your pursuit. I know how hard you run and what is in your heart."

"God didn’t fuss at David. David had something that he wanted to in his heart, and it was pure before God. He wanted to run the race and receive the praise of God.

Whitten reminded the messengers of Solomon’s tribute to his father, recorded in II Chronicles 6:7, at the dedication of Solomon’s temple, "It was in the heart of my father."

"God is saying to you ‘I know what kind of pastor you want to be. At the moment you wanted to do that, I wrote it down. You’ll get credit for it," Whitten said.

Finally, Whitten conjectured that Nathan told David: "I see your purpose."

"God’s purpose for David was not to build, but to battle," Whitten said. "David wanted to do something permanent and everlasting, and he thought the temple was God’s purpose for his life."

Whitten told the crowd the Bible records the building of only three temples.

"Do you know how many temples are still standing? Not a one." he said. "But the Book of Psalms still stands. The seat of David still stands.

"When God said ‘I don’t want you to build me a house, David’ He also said ‘I am going to build you a house.’ This is not a structure, but a dynasty."

"Friends, you haven’t seen what is in store in heaven," exhorted Whitten. "God is going to put in His book, ‘I see your heart. You see your today; I see tomorrow."