Is it just me, or have you been hearing a lot of prophetic declarations being made these days? I’m not sure if people have more time on their hands to hear from the Lord due to the pandemic or if they are just more in tune. Sadly, what I’m hearing most seems to be doom and gloom being spread as a word from God. Not sure how I feel about that!
Do I believe it? Is it credible? I’m sure even the great prophets from the Bible struggled. The message they were getting wasn’t all sunshine and daisies! They were not popular glimpses into the future. However, the words spoken to David were not only a prophecy but also a promise. Remember a prophecy is not “foretelling” but forthtelling announcements of promise, warnings of punishment and woe.
The promise of God had some specificity to it. Solomon used this opportunity to call that out. Did he want to showcase God as the overseer of this project? That would be what his father, David would have done.
Building this temple was quite the accomplishment! We revel in the majesty of this “home” for God that Solomon and all his thousands of workers created. In response, Solomon gives God the glory. “Praise the LORD, the God of Israel, who has kept the promise he made to my father, David.”
Have you had the experience in your lifetime when God called you to bring something to completion? Did you feel worthy or capable of such an assignment? Was there ever a time when you didn’t feel God’s presence?
You’ve heard the saying, “If God calls you to it, he will see you through it.” I believe there is a lot of truth to that simple phrase. Sometimes we limit ourselves or our belief in our abilities, forgetting that God is there to help orchestrate. Do we let him? That’s the kicker right there. If we let him.
How often do we try to go off on our own? Creating our agenda seems to make the most sense. It’s oftentimes “comfortable.” Yet God likes to call us into magnificent projects. Look at Solomon’s call to build the temple.
Thankfully, God hasn’t asked me to do that. What he has asked me to do fits perfectly with the gifts and abilities he has also given me. He hasn’t asked me to design a space shuttle or figure out crypto currency. He has asked me to write. To some, that would be a frightening assignment.
There’s a lot more to it, I think. But God seems to be revealing only what I need to know when I need to know it. Don’t you think that he did that for Solomon, too? How fitting that Solomon would have asked for wisdom above all else when God asked him what he wanted. Solomon was equipped for his mission—just like you and I are equipped.
What is your mission? Have you completed it? Are you simply waiting for your next project? We know in Matthew 9:37-38, Jesus talks of all the lost people who, like sheep, are looking for their shepherd. “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”
God needs all hands on deck to save his lost souls. They need to hear the Good News of God’s promised salvation. That is a promise God has made to all who believe in his son, Jesus. Every day, this prophecy, or promise, is fulfilled when God’s faithful ones pass from this earth onto eternal life. That is the ultimate fulfillment!
Take some time today to reflect on the assignment God has given you.
Let’s pray …
Lord, thank you for believing in me enough to give me the mission you have assigned me. Help me be strong and courageous as I fight the many battles the world will raise before me. Strengthen my faith. Protect my heart and mind. I’m ready. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
