Dr. Kenneth Samuel: Larger Than Life Visions
"Lord remember David and all his self-denial. He swore an oath to the Lord, he made a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob: 'I will not enter my house or go to my bed, I will allow no sleep to my eyelids till I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.'"
Reflection by Kenneth L. Samuel
There is nothing as powerful as a passion or vision that inspires and drives our every waking moment. Life can be quite tedious and tasteless without someone or something to live for. For his nation, whose history had been marked by brutal enslavement, foreign captivity and nomadic wanderings through the desert, David knew the significance of establishing a permanent house of worship to center the people, and to celebrate the God of their covenant. The consuming life passion of David was to build and to establish this house of the Lord for Israel.
History tells us, however, that David's dream was never realized in his lifetime. The opportunity to build the house of the Lord fell to David's son, Solomon. Though he died with dreams that he never saw realized and hopes that he never saw come to fruition, the Psalmist will not allow us to forget the passion of David's burning life desire. In remembering David, we also remember that David's unfulfilled passion laid the ground for his son's realized opportunity.
Our visions today aren't necessarily new. The privileges and opportunities that we currently have to fulfill our dreams are brought to us because someone before us sacrificed and labored without seeing their fulfillment. To truly honor them is to underscore the privileges, opportunities and responsibilities that we have inherited. Let us not just memorialize and lionize our forerunners and ancestors. Let's carry on their work. And let's be certain to leave much more than money and real estate to our children. Let's leave dreams and visions that are worthy of dedicated sacrifice and support beyond our lifetime.
Prayer
Dear God, we thank you today for dreamers that have died and for dreams that live on in us and through us. Amen.