I Chronicles 28:20 And David said to Solomon, his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God , even my God , will be with thee; He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.

Death-bed conversations. Father to son. Mother to daughter. Husband to wife. Friend to friend. No words minced–there is no time for that. Dying grace given only to the dying…………….I have witnessed many of these conversations and fear is often palpable in those who will be left behind in a room charged with an unseen Presence.

This is the scene. King David is giving his son, Solomon, his marching orders as the future king over Israel. This is not the expected course of action. Solomon was not the oldest son. Not the heir apparent. But the God appointed heir. Solomon, wisest of all men.

Fill the shoes of David, the warrior king? Daunting task.

Draw close to the bedside as David whispers what is on his heart. On a deathbed it is boiled down to the essence of what you hold most precious: People, Priorities, Praise.

Solomon, my son, son who would rather write poetry, paint, read, chase women: be strong and have courage (David has experienced fear and discouragement and this apple has not fallen far from the tree). Your task Solomon is NOT to conquer kingdoms. Your task for the nation is to build a place of WORSHIP! A resting place for the Ark of the Covenant, the Mercy Seat of God. A house for Almighty God to come and dwell among His people in the Land of Promise. David is giving Solomon the honor of doing what David had longed to do for his God.

Death, we fear it because it is not natural. God never intended His highest creation to succumb. Go back and read Genesis 2-3. Death–time of recognition that life is over and we must give an account. Romans 12:14 New International Version

So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

That’s the dread we had before Christ paid our penalty–standing before Holy God.

David’s words of encouragement to Solomon from his deathbed: “My God (personal) will not fail you (personal)” and then he assures Solomon, He (God) will see to it that Solomon completes this holy undertaking. Short, sweet, pointed, filled with adoration for the God of his youth who has been faithful to him for a lifetime despite David’s failure to always do the right thing.

What challenge has the LORD given you for this new year? (Your reading mine!) If He has called us to it, He is assuming responsibility for the outcome. He is our personal God too. He will not fail us. He will not fail our children. We do not know what the year 2016 holds but we KNOW who holds 2016. Like Solomon heard his father’s assurance, we can hear OUR FATHER’S assurance that He will not forsake us. He will help us complete our assigned task.

Philippians 1:6 New International Version “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Solomon built the Temple of God in Jerusalem. He completed His God given task.

This is the year for us to lean in and complete our task. In UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA country, Nick Saban says, “play 60 minutes. This is what it takes to win (complete the task). Stick to your assignment and play until the clock runs out!” Same advice David gave Solomon!

A couple of beautiful young ladies from our hometown have been called to a new adventures with the LORD. Listen to the message God has given. I am super proud of them and I am honored that they have agreed to let us share the gift! Please support each with your purchase, participation, and prayers. I cannot wait to see what the Lord does through these sweet souls.

We Pray to You Music by Fallon Keen on her FB page

A new blog by Danna Homan found on FB

Cheers to new beginnings without fear of failure!

Yvonne