Background Story: King David is getting older in years. His son, Solomon is getting prepared to become King of Israel and King David takes a moment to give Solomon important advice.

Read 1 Chronicles 28: 5-9

 Of all my sons—and the Lord has given me many—he has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel. ⁶ He said to me: ‘Solomon your son is the one who will build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father. ⁷ I will establish his kingdom forever if he is unswerving in carrying out my commands and laws, as is being done at this time.’

⁸ “So now I charge you in the sight of all Israel and of the assembly of the Lord, and in the hearing of our God: Be careful to follow all the commands of the Lord your God, that you may possess this good land and pass it on as an inheritance to your descendants forever.

⁹ “And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. 

Big Idea: Pursue to know God.

David gave instructions to his son Solomon as he prepared to become King of Israel and charged his son to be, “unswerving” (v7) and to “acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion” (v9). In Proverbs 3:5-6, we see the same word used by an older Solomon to his son. He says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

The word acknowledge means, “to know, to recognize, to submit, and to involve.” That means that in all our ways…in all our fears…in all our uncertainties…in every obstacle…in all aspects of our past, present, and future…God is calling us to know Him! It’s easy to offer God part of us and mark off sections of our life with police tape claiming this section as unapproachable or untouchable to the God of Heaven. But acknowledging Him means we open our lives daily in a posture of surrender giving Him access to all.

Lord today we pray as we start this day, this week, this month or this year… we want to know YOU in every aspect of our life. Instead of swerving around obstacles trying to make it on our own, help us to fix our eyes on You learning to surrender all fears, circumstances, and struggles daily before Your throne. We thank You for Your promise that, “Those who know Your name will trust in You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You” (Psalm 9:10). May our lives be an endless story of pure devotion to You!

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