"And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship Him and serve Him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek Him you will find Him. But if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever." (1 Chronicles 28:9 NIV)
David implored his son: go God’s way. I recognize his single-mindedness. Rob and I have parented near-adult children long enough to know that their souls continue to be our number one concern. We lift up our kids every morning and every evening in prayer; pleading that their love of God would eclipse all other interests in their life. Our highest priority for our offspring is that they would go God’s way and know Him intimately.
Truly, if we zoomed out on all humanity, aren’t these instructions for all of us? Isn’t this the Father’s heart for each of us?
David gave Solomon step by step instructions on how to know God.
1.) Worship Him. Acknowledge His Lordship. Accredit Him with His handiwork. Give Him the praise and glory due Him.
2.) Serve Him. This service is voluntary and glad. We surrender to His sovereign plan, ever mindful of His omniscience.
3.) Seek Him. It is critical that going with God is our greatest agenda. Our desire to be with Him rightfully obscures every other impulse and inclination.
David verbally charged his son with this responsibility but I’m sure he backed it up on his knees. I would imagine, after his indiscretion with Bathsheba, that David was brought to his knees quite frequently. I presume he ruled his kingdom from his prayer closet.
We can and should pray for our kids to know God intimately, but we also lead by example. If we follow David’s detailed instructions ourselves, we’ll surely find spiritual fruit on the branches of our own lives and thereby illustrated God’s faithfulness in front of our children.
"My heart says of You "Seek His face!" Your face, Lord, I will seek." (Psalm 27:8 NIV)
I spent Saturday at a ladies leadership conference. It was reinforced over and over again, we cannot lead anyone anywhere, unless we first live there ourselves. Moms and Dads, if we are hoping to see our children grow up and serve the Lord, we must show them the way by serving Him with our whole heart here and now.
Lord, we are inspired and challenged by David’s instructions to his son. May we live in a way that pleases You for the sake of the generations that follow. Grow our love and obedience as we example faithfulness to our children. Set our hearts and minds upon You as we lead the way in worship, serving and seeking. Captivate our offspring as You have captivated us. Amen.