Ewald Schmidt

A song of ascents. Lord, remember David and all his self-denial. He swore an oath to the Lord, he made a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob: ‘I will not enter my house or go to my bed, I will allow no sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, till I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.’ Psalm 132:1-5

God has called every believer to walk the journey of life with him, each in our own unique way. We can dream huge dreams of what we want to do in life, to honour God. This song tells of David’s ambition. He wanted to honour God by building the biggest and the best temple that the world had ever seen. He stated that he would have no rest before that dream became a reality. It sounded like such a good plan, how could this not be what God wanted?

But the Lord had different plans for David’s life. One of David’s descendants would be called to build a temple on Mount Zion. It was enough for God that David was his child, walking his path of life with God. God had appointed David as king of Israel, to serve God in that capacity. The promise that God had given David was that the kingship of Israel would always be from the house of David.

But this seems like ancient history of a country far away. What can we learn from this song? The most important lesson is that God is actively planning our lives. We are called to be ourselves, with our gifts and talents, and to serve God with all our hearts. That is all that God wants from us. Yes, there are so many good things to do in this life, to change the world. But you are not responsible for doing everything yourself. It is also a big mistake not to allow yourself any rest while living your dream.

David needed to learn how to relax. He needed to discover his own calling in life. He was called to be the king of Israel, who honoured God by his obedience. It would fall on Solomon’s shoulders to build a temple on Mount Zion.

The biggest problem in the church these days would then not be people trying to do too much for the Lord. Many believers might go the opposite route, by resting too much, and doing too little with their gifts. This song calls on us to keep on walking our path of life with the Lord.  On this journey we are called to serve God and our neighbour with our own unique gifts. We should do our best with what we received in the way of gifts and opportunities to serve. We also need to learn how to rest properly, to be more effective when we do work. We are not responsible to change the whole world. We are responsible to walk with God, obeying him in all we do.

Prayer: Father, thank you for creating me to be unique. Thank you for the gifts I have received to honour you, and to serve the church. Please open my eyes to all opportunities I may have to make a difference in this world. Fill me with the power of your Spirit, that I may boldly follow where you may lead me. Amen