preparations

King David was a much better man than I am.

That’s not surprising - he was, after all, known as the man after God’s own heart. I don’t feel like I fit that description very often.

But David had a dream. David wanted to build God a temple. When God said no, it would have been natural to wash his hands of it all. I’d have said, “Fine. You can see to your own temple in your own time.”

“David said, ‘My son Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the Lord should be of great magnificence and fame and splendor in the sight of all the nations. Therefore I will make preparations for it.’ So David made extensive preparations before his death.”) 1Ch 22:5 

David put a lot of effort into preparing for a future he would never see. This work didn’t benefit David at all; he did it out of love for God. Much as he loved his son, he knew on his own Solomon was unlikely to get it right. So he made sure God’s temple would be built well.

I’m a planner. I’m working on retirement. I know what I want life to look like in five years, and use that to define this year. But those things benefit me. Am I as diligent about planting seeds that will take decades to grow? Do I care as much about the future of other people as I do myself?

I think I need to focus more effort on listening to what God wants the future of his kingdom to be. Planning for my own benefit is important, but essentially selfish. I should be as concerned that God be glorified, hungry children are fed, the truth is told, justice is served, the weak are protected. I’m not a planner in any of those areas, and as a result I don’t do much either.

It’s that old question, whose kingdom am I building. The answer shames me.