You Get to Build

King David knew that young Solomon was too inexperienced for the task of building the temple.

So he made preparations:

“With great pains I have provided for the house of the LORD …” (1 Chronicles 22:14)

David gave Solomon everything that he needed to build. But what he couldn’t and wouldn’t do was build. This required resources that only Solomon could summon:

“Be strong and courageous. Fear not; do not be dismayed. … Arise and work! The LORD be with you.” (1 Chronicles 22:13, 15)

David supplied Solomon. But he wouldn’t spoil his son by doing the work for him.

There is a difference between supplying and spoiling.

God always supplies, and he never spoils.

He will always send us the resources we need.

But he will never send us untimely relief.

All kingdom work is a holy merge of trust and action. God makes the preparations, and we put in the work. He resources the humble beyond measure, but he refuses to take from us the dignity of doing the work.

The Scriptures stand against both pride and passivity—against those who think they can do it, and those who think that he will do it for them.

But the Father will not spoil his children. He gives us real work to do. He prepares it beforehand, but we walk in it (Ephesians 2:10). He is forming a royal priesthood, a holy people who carry the divine nature and rise up in joyful, co-creative service to the Lord (1 Peter 2:9; 2 Peter 1:3).

God sets us up. But we have to be strong in his Spirit.

God provides. But we have to work it out by his might.

God takes care. But we have to take action.

He will do our assigned work through us. But he will not do it for us.

And this is better. A royal priest bears a far more glorious call than a puppet. The truth is we get to be strong; we get to put in the work; we get to take action.

In our most sluggish moments, we wish God would do it all for us. But it is far better to bear the burden of faith-filled action, even if it means that we suffer pains. Better for the spirit to struggle under merciful delays than atrophy in an idle life. God holds back the easy fix that would shrivel our soul so that we learn how to work out the power that he works within (Philippians 2:12-13).

Jesus won't spoil the stories of living stones with an instant kingdom (Acts 1:6-7; 1 Peter 2:5). Instead, he sends his Spirit to help them build.