And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your fathers
and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind,
for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts.
If you seek him, he will be found by you;
but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.
Consider now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a temple as a sanctuary.
Be strong and do the work.
David’s desire was to build a house for God. His words to Nathan, “Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while the ark of the covenant of the LORD is under a tent.” (I Chronicles 17:1)
But God said, No. The temple would not be built by David, but by his son, Solomon.
As a parent, surely there is no greater joy than to see our children being used to (literally or figuratively) build God’s Kingdom. Sometimes God gives us a vision, and that vision is not for us personally. David would be part of assembling the resources, but the privilege of building the temple would fall to Solomon.
In I Chronicles 28, David prepares Solomon for this holy privilege by issuing him a personal charge in a public forum:
- Acknowledge God
- Serve him
- Seek him
- Be strong
- Do the work
A few brief words that carry a weighty and wise call to both right attitude and the right action.
The wisdom David shared with his son was gleaned from years of making both good and not-so-good choices. Experience is an excellent teacher. We will all face challenging circumstances. It is our choice whether we’re wise enough to learn from them. But the wisest of all choices is to learn from the experiences of others before experiencing those challenges ourselves.
That is what David wanted for his son Solomon.
Let’s use David’s charge to Solomon and roll it into a prayer we can pray for our own sons (and daughters):
Lord, thank you for my son. Thank you for choosing Him to serve You. I pray that always and in all ways he would acknowledge You as his creator and redeemer. I pray he would yield to Your authority over his life, as he acknowledges Your sovereignty over all his time, talent, and treasure. We are not our own. We belong to you. Let him submit to you in loving obedience. Please, God, let my son serve You out of reverence and joy – let his chief aim be to bring You the glory You so richly deserve. I pray his service would not be duty, but delight – not a legalistic “have to” but a joyful “want to.” I pray his motives would be pure. Give my boy a heart that seeks You out for every decision and every action. I pray that as he abides in You and seeks Your presence, he would know and recognize your voice. God, give him great strength. Give him power to resist temptation and to love you more than anything this world has to offer. Let him be caught when guilty and be quick to confess and seek restoration. I pray he would own his sin and make restitution. Let him see that all sin is ultimately a sin against You. I pray my son lives each day with a strong work ethic. I pray against laziness and idleness, and that he would be a man who would find great joy in completing the work You have assigned to him. Give him a desire to do the work and do it well. Let him see that doing Your work is a great honor, a high calling, and a sacred privilege. Bless, my son, O God, and make him a blessing.
As we pray for our children today, we can simultaneously celebrate the husband God has provided as the father to our children. Be sure to pray for him, as you pray for your children. Consider going back now and re-reading (re-praying) the words above, lifting up your husband to our Lord.
In addition to thanking God for your mate, be sure you also tell HIM (your husband) how grateful you are for him. While a new tie—or basketball, or gift card to Best Buy—is nice, I’m sure your words of love and gratitude would be worth far more to him. 
It’s not too late to join us as we study WORK
during the month of June.
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daily verse list and S.O.A.P. study pages today!
