The first Jewish temple ranks as one of the architectural wonders of the ancient world. Built in the tenth century BC, the project’s scope was so massive that Solomon employed thirty thousand loggers and eighty thousand stonecutters. More than three thousand foremen managed the seven-year project. The temple was the epicentre of Judaism. It was the place of sacrifice. It was the place of worship. It was the place of pilgrimage. But like everything else, the temple was once a figment of the imagination.

The cumulative history of the Jewish temple can be traced all the way back to an idea in the mind of King David. But it wasn’t David’s idea. ‘David gave his son Solomon the plans for the portico of the temple, its buildings, its storerooms, its upper parts, its inner rooms and the place of atonement. He gave him the plans of all that the Spirit had put in his mind for the courts of the temple of the Lord.’ We have no idea how God downloaded the plans to David. JPEGs? PDFs? Mental images? Detailed drawings? One thing is sure: the plans for the temple were not manufactured in David’s mind, they originated with the Spirit of God.

The temple wasn’t just a good idea, it was a God idea. So, ask God for an idea. Pray for a plan. Why? Two reasons. First because the Bible says, ‘Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart’ (Psalm 37:4 NIV). Second, when something is conceived by God’s Spirit, it is sure to succeed.