A Father's Heart

10-13 David blessed God in full view of the entire congregation:

Blessed are you, God of Israel, our father
from of old and forever.
To you, O God, belong the greatness and the might,
the glory, the victory, the majesty, the splendor;
Yes! Everything in heaven, everything on earth;
the kingdom all yours! You’ve raised yourself high over all.
Riches and glory come from you,
you’re ruler over all;
You hold strength and power in the palm of your hand
to build up and strengthen all.
And here we are, O God, our God, giving thanks to you,
praising your splendid Name.

14-19 “But me—who am I, and who are these my people, that we should presume to be giving something to you? Everything comes from you; all we’re doing is giving back what we’ve been given from your generous hand. As far as you’re concerned, we’re homeless, shiftless wanderers like our ancestors, our lives mere shadows, hardly anything to us. God, our God, all these materials—these piles of stuff for building a house of worship for you, honoring your Holy Name—it all came from you! It was all yours in the first place! I know, dear God that you care nothing for the surface — you want us, our true selves— and so I have given from the heart, honestly and happily. And now see all these people doing the same, giving freely, willingly—what a joy! O God, God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, keep this generous spirit alive forever in these people always, keep their hearts set firmly in you. And give my son Solomon an uncluttered and focused heart so that he can obey what you command, live by your directions and counsel, and carry through with building The Temple for which I have provided.” - 1 Chronicles 29:10-19 (Msg)

I was caught off-guard while reading this portion of the Scripture. Emotions welled-up inside me and I cannot help but take a break from reading and praise God for His greatness. I felt humbled and little in comparison to His glory; filthy in comparison to His holiness and righteousness; weak and dumb in comparison to His might and wisdom. Indeed, God, in His infinity, is beyond comprehension. That moment is truly remarkable.

Yet beyond the overwhelming message of His Word, what overcame me was the peace that followed. I have been through a difficult emotional turmoil days prior my encounter with the Word, and during that incident, I found myself seemingly receiving a pat on the back from God Himself. I felt like a little child crying because of fear and insecurity and right when I need it, I was comforted by a hug from my Father.

I admired King David praying and committing his successor-king son Solomon to the Lord. I was moved by the earnestness and passion of His fatherly prayer. I was moved by his desire to ensure that Solomon will choose to do the right things. I believe that if He was given a chance to guide Solomon’s actions in their whole father-son lifetime just to make sure everything’s working out fine, He will do so. Yet, King David, and every godly father know that their lifetime is brief and in different time frame. Soon his father role to Solomon will cease because of his finiteness. That’s why he entrusts his son to God – the infinite Father. He acknowledges that God is a Father who will care and protect, and will never cease to do so, because He is infinite.

I am not yet a father myself and I desire to be one soon. Living in the times when fatherhood is becoming more of an idea than a responsibility, King David’s example is something to imitate. He displayed how to be vulnerable in front of His heavenly Father so he can be a strong earthly father to his son. He acknowledged that the ultimate Source is not, and will never be him. He knew who the real Authority is, submits to that Authority and encourages others to do so. He demonstrates the godly values of honesty, gratitude, and generosity in worship, among others. When I become a father someday, I want to be like of King David, a father with a vulnerable heart towards God, his heavenly Father.