This month, I began a study of 1 & 2 Kings.
At the beginning of 1 Kings, we learn that King David is close to death and that he has named his son, Solomon, as his successor. The first few chapters talk about the transition from David’s reign to Solomon’s and how, soon after Solomon takes the throne, he begins the process of building the Lord’s temple where the Ark of the Covenant would rest.
While there are so many amazing facets to the story of David’s life, the part that stuck out to me in these last few chapters about his life was what he didn’t get to do.
It was David’s dream, his vision, to build the temple of the Lord. He desired it for most of his life. He fought for it, paved the way and established the setting, but he didn’t live to see it built. The Lord instead chose to use his successor to complete the task.
This aspect of David’s life spoke to me, because recently I have been feeling some of the frustration that comes from David’s plight.
The theme of Cambodia is definitely one of building foundations.
The first day in our small village, we built the foundation of a playground for the local kids out of the clay-like mud from the murky pond behind our hut.
We, along with the two other teams who are living with us this month, are teaching free English classes for 100+ children every day. While the other girls are teaching here in our home village, my team and I travel an hour away to teach in an even more remote village.
Our host, Vuthy, has already established a school and church in our home village, but his dream is to do the same in this neighboring village as well.
And that’s where we come in.
It is up to my team this month to build the foundation.
Each morning, we spend several hours going from hut to hut and visiting with the villagers. We get to know them, build relationships, and show them God’s love as best we can. In this rural Buddhist community, this is the first time most people have ever heard the name, “Jesus.”
In the afternoons, we teach three free English classes for the local children.
This is just the beginning of what God is going to do in this village. I can see it in the faces of the children who we get to love on every day.
There is so much in store for them, and I am honored to get to lay the foundation for things to come.
There are times when it’s easy to get frustrated; to feel like you sow and sow but rarely reap. On the race, we experience a lot of this. We often find ourselves in situations where it is offensive or even illegal to discuss religion, and in those times our efforts can feel fruitless. But what God is teaching me through 1 Kings is that David’s life was just as important as Solomon’s. It would have been impossible for his son to build the temple if David had not first laid the groundwork.
So when you are wrestling with the lie that your efforts are futile – take heart. Persevere. Be faithful in laying your own foundations. It may not be in your timing, but the temple will come.
