Have you ever found yourself diligently asking God for something and realize that His answer is the equivalent to building a piece of furniture from IKEA? You asked God for a chair and he gives you wood. Or better yet, He tells you get the wood from here, the screws from there and here’s your blueprint. You stand there mouth agape and saying, “But I asked for a chair.” And He says, “Yes, I know.”

Our relationship with God is a partnership. He’s not a genie in a lamp that you rub and voila! When you petition God, sometimes His answer is an IKEA box. Have you ever put together something from IKEA? If you are not mechanically inclined, it’s the worst thing anyone can give you. It’s a box with a bunch of parts and screws and a book with a bunch of pictures. The end result is beautiful but getting there is a different story.

Sometimes our answers require class participation. God says sure. Here’s the elements that you need and this is the instruction booklet to follow so you can get there. We tend to take our relationship with God for granted and we get used to a certain way that He speaks to us. However, sometimes He throws us a curveball and tells you, “This one has some assembly required.” He gives us the parts and booklet and says do it yourself.

When God operates this way, we sometimes think that it’s a punishment of some sort. However, whenever He says there’s some assembly required, He’s trying to build something in you while you are assembling. Think of Noah. God was fed up with the people but Genesis 6:8 says that Noah found grace in the eyes of God.

God decided to save Noah and his family from the coming destruction of the Earth. He gave Noah a blueprint for the ark. It was a very specific blueprint. God detailed the measurements, the types of wood, the particular design of the ark. He told him what to put in it. If you’ve read the story in Genesis 6 and 7, you’ll see how specific the design was.

This is the same with the instructions God gives us. If we aren’t careful and pay attention to the details God gives us, we will end up somewhere we don’t want to be. Imagine if Noah got lazy and cut corners. Perhaps the ark would have sunk. A door may not have opened. An animal could have gotten out an wreaked havoc.

Yup, I’m speaking from experience both with IKEA and with God. Cut corners with your IKEA box, you will end up having to take the whole thing apart and start all over again. Cut corners with God’s blueprint, you’ll sink. Follow God’s blueprint. Build what He tells you to build how He tells you to build it. You’ll not only get a chair but you will get a table and another chair for a friend. ~ Selah