One of the first lessons that God taught me involved King David’s parenting skills. David wanted to build a house for God; he felt it was crazy that he lived in a castle while God dwelt in a tent. However, building a tabernacle was not what God had planned for David. God saw him as unfit to build His tabernacle because he had been a great warrior and had blood on his hands. God saw Solomon as a man of peace and rest, and it was God’s will for Solomon to build the temple.
I Chronicles 22:7 – 10 “David said to Solomon: “My son, I had it in my heart to build a house for the Name of the LORD my God. But this word of the LORD came to me: ‘You have shed much blood and have fought many wars. You are not to build a house for my Name … But you will have a son who will be a man of peace and rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. … He is the one who will build a house for my Name.”
David displayed a responsibility in parenting that we need to take note of. David was so in tune with God that he knew the will of God for his son. David began to prepare Solomon to finish the task that God had preordained for him. He gathered all the finest materials – so when God tapped him on the shoulder, everything would be in place, and Solomon would be successful.
“To every man there comes in his lifetime that special moment when he is figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered a chance to do a very special thing, unique to him and fitted to his talents. What a tragedy if the moment finds him unprepared or unqualified for that which would be his finest hour.” – Winston Churchill
That is our job as parents to hear from God on what His will, plan, and purpose is for our children’s lives and help prepare them for that task. To make sure that they are ready for that unique task that God has called them to, prepare them for that which God has created them for – their finest hour.
In this century, many think that humanity’s finest hour was when Allen Shepherd walked on the moon and declared, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
It was a great accomplishment, to be sure. It took countless hours of education, training, engineering, and study in preparation for that feat to happen. Allen Shepherd logged more than 8,000 hours of flight time in preparation for Apollo 11. When Shepherd was tapped on the shoulder, he rose to the occasion. A great accomplishment for Shepherd and mankind, no doubt. But not mans finest hour.
Mankind’s finest hour was when Jesus Christ rose on the third day, defeating death, hell, and the grave to provide salvation for all mankind. When the Father tapped His Son on the shoulder – Jesus was obedient to the task that Jesus was prepared for and was uniquely fitted for Christ.
Vince Lombardi says, “I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle – victorious.”
Jesus did achieve His greatest fulfillment, one that was a labor of love for him. The good cause was you, and I, and Jesus spent every ounce of energy and physical strength he had achieving the finest hour for mankind! Prepare yourself for your finest hour, and prepare your children for theirs.
