Place Fit for a King

King Hiram of Tyre had always been a loyal friend of David. When Hiram learned that David's son Solomon was the new king of Israel, he sent ambassadors to congratulate him. (1 Kings 5:1 NLT)

Now that David has passed away and his son, Solomon, is king, we begin to see a shift in the daily lives of the Israelites.  With David, they were constantly at war with their neighboring kingdoms.  Solomon lead the nation into a time of peace.

Then Solomon sent this message back to Hiram: "You know that my father, David, was not able to build a Temple to honor the name of the LORD his God because of the many wars waged against him by surrounding nations. He could not build until the LORD gave him victory over all his enemies. But now the LORD my God has given me peace on every side; I have no enemies, and all is well. (1 Kings 5:2-4 NLT)

When Life Bridge first started up, we were in a basement that flooded all the time.  Every time the heavy rains would come, we found ourselves clearing out the carpet squares in that basement so they could dry out.  When we moved to a building above ground, the water leaks stopped.  It was great!  That first winter, though, we found out that the building was not insulated well at all.  Cold winter air poured into the cafe area and people were wearing winter coats during the worship services.  Once we got that all fixed, it was kind of strange.  What should we do with all this “spare time?”  Solomon and the Israelites must have felt the same way.  All the battles died down.  Now what?  Their answer was simple.  They would build a place fit for a king.

So I am planning to build a Temple to honor the name of the LORD my God, just as He had instructed my father, David. For the LORD told him, 'Your son, whom I will place on your throne, will build the Temple to honor My name.' (1 Kings 5:5 NLT)

How about you?  Have you had hectic times of “battle” in your life?  Have you had times of rest?  What do you choose to do with those times of rest?  Do you build, in your life, a place fit for your King?