Are You Up to the Challenge?
Then David continued, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. He will see to it that all the work related to the Temple of the Lord is finished correctly.” 1 Chronicles 28:20
Have you ever been asked to take on a new position, or a new task, and at first, you are extremely excited and looking forward to it, but then, those doubts and uncertainty start to crawl in. Can I really do this? Will I be any good at it? What if I fail?
I’m used to being a “take charge” kind of person. If you know me personally at all, you know that I am often the one in charge of different projects, whether they are church related, or if they were school or organization related like when our girls were growing up. Usually I know quite a bit about that task already, so I feel pretty confident in the position.
But there have been many times when I’ve been asked to volunteer for things that I knew nothing about. I get all nervous and worried that I won’t live up to the expectations of the task. Not because I don’t want to, but because I don’t feel confident that I can perform those duties to the best of my ability.
How do you feel when you’re asked to take on a new challenge? Are you filled with confidence, eager to give it a go, or are you hesitant, unsure whether you have what it takes?
In our scripture today, Solomon was facing a very intimidating task. His father David, was nearing the end of his life, and Solomon was ready to take over from David as king. As if that wasn’t enough of a challenge, Solomon had also been given the job of coordinating the building of the Temple where the people would go to worship God. Solomon was not very confident in his ability to take on this job. But his father David was encouraging him to place his confidence in God, not in his own abilities
Instead of listing all the reasons why Solomon was capable, David was honest with his son and told him how huge this task will be.
“My son Solomon, whom God has clearly chosen as the next king of Israel, is still young and inexperienced. The work ahead of him is enormous.” 1 Chronicles 29:1
David went on to encourage Solomon to have confidence in the God who called him to take over as King and to complete this task, not to be confident in himself alone.
~Instead of saying, come on son, you can do this! He said, God is with you.
~Instead of saying, you have all the skills you need! He said, God will see that the work is completed.
~Instead of saying, I know you’ll do your best! He said, Trust in God, He will not fail you or forsake you.
~Instead of building Solomon up with all the things he could do himself as a man, he reminded him that God is faithful.
David knew Solomon needed to put his confidence in God and His faithfulness, not in himself and his own abilities.
The next time you are asked to take on a new challenge, step out in faith and put all your confidence in Him. It won’t make it any easier, and I’m sure there will be challenges along the way, but like Solomon, if God calls us, He will enable us if we are faithful.
Have a blessed day!
~Bev