Vision, Pt. 1

God's been really challenging me with a particular passage in I Chronicles over these past few weeks. Yep, you read it correctly. I Chronicles. Who knew?

I was reading about David's interaction with God, when He asked if he could build the Temple, and God very clearly answered by saying that David was not to build it, but his son, Solomon was to carry out this dream. What really struck me was when I started reading in I Chron. 22. David says:

"My son Solomon is still young and inexperienced, and the Temple of the LORD must be a magnificent structure, famous and glorious throughout the world. So I will begin making preparations for it now." So David collected vast amounts of building materials before his death." (v. 5)

David was clearly a man driven by a passion and heart for God. He pursued the promise God had given him about his kingship for years before it ever came to pass. The amazing part that I saw, however, was the way that David spent the entire last season of his life passionately pursuing a vision that he knew he would never see. It's one thing to pursue and wait and fight and plan for a vision that will involve and bless you. It's entirely another mindset to do so for something that you know you will never get to enjoy. You're doing all the work for someone else to eat the fruit.

And yet, David did just that. He poured himself into preparations for Solomon and constructing the Temple. He got his people ready for it, clearly pointing to Solomon as the next king (granted there were some complications with his other sons, as evidenced in I Kings), collected all the supplies for the Temple, and told Solomon exactly what to do with them.

I really think that this was one of the (if not the biggest) main reasons why the book ends with the statement, "So Solomon took the throne of the LORD in place of his father, David, and he prospered greatly, and all Israel obeyed him" (I Chron. 29:23). Sadly, I don't think Solomon ever grasped the concept of seeing beyond himself, and he died having everything and yet leaving a legacy that quickly led to the country being torn apart.

It's been a good challenge for me to remember that the dreams and visions that God plants on my heart are bigger than me. I may or may not see them to fruition. I still must be faithful to do my part, however, to pursue with all excellence and passion the role that He's given me in carrying out His Kingdom on Earth as it is in Heaven. I know I have been so blessed in ministry and my life thanks to the legacy left to me by my leaders in ministry and in my family. I pray I can do the same for generations to come.