Preparing the People

Yesterday we talked about gathering stones.

About being willing to do the unseen work and about preparing for something we may never personally get to see finished.

    And David wasn't done preparing. Because he didn't just gather the stones. He also gathered the people. By the time we reach 1 Chronicles 23, David is old. Solomon is becoming king, and David knows he isn't going to be the one standing there when the temple is finally completed.

   But instead of checking out because his part is almost over, David leans in even harder. He starts to organize the Levites. Some would oversee the work of the temple. Some would be officials and judges. Some would guard the gates. Some would play instruments and lead worship. And then there were those who would stand before the Lord every morning and every evening simply to thank Him and praise Him.

    They all had different assignments but the same purpose. Sometimes we need that reminder because it's so easy to look at someone else's assignment and decide theirs matters more.

    We tend to notice the person holding the microphone or the person preaching or the person leading worship. We notice the person whose ministry is growing and whose name everyone seems to know. But somebody still has to guard the gate. And somebody has to organize the details, prepare the room, teach the next generation. Somebody has to show up early and stay late and somebody has to stand before God when nobody else is watching and simply worship.

                            It's all ministry.

That's something I'm having to remind myself of in this season.

     Yesterday I shared honestly that sometimes I want to be the one to build the temple. I want to do the big thing for God. And yet I keep finding myself gathering stones. Today's reading made me realize that I'm gathering more than stones. I'm helping prepare people. And maybe you are too.

Think about it....The child you're pouring into. The person you're encouraging. The prayer you're praying that nobody knows about. The lesson you're teaching. The conversation that seems completely ordinary. The person you're helping discover their own calling. We have no idea what God may eventually build from the people we're investing in today.

   There's another detail here I don't want us to miss. The Levites' assignment was changing.

For generations, part of their job had been carrying the Tabernacle from place to place. But now Israel had settled, and the temple was coming. They wouldn't need to carry it anymore. Their assignment changed but their calling didn't.

   And sometimes that's hard.

We get comfortable with what serving God used to look like. Then the season changes, and suddenly He's asking us to serve differently. But we have to understand that different doesn't mean finished and hidden doesn't mean insignificant and preparation doesn't mean you're waiting for ministry to begin.

                   Preparation is ministry.

Then chapter 24 organizes the priests into divisions so everyone knows when and where they are supposed to serve. David is creating something that will continue long after he's gone. He won't see every worship service or hear every song. He won't meet every priest who eventually serves because of the structure he helped establish. But his obedience will still be speaking to generations later.

   That's what God is reminding us today. We don't have to see everything He's building to know that what we're doing matters.

    Maybe you'll build the temple. Maybe you'll gather the stones. Maybe you'll prepare the people who eventually build something you never imagined. But whatever the assignment is, be faithful with your part. The Kingdom was never supposed to end with us. We're preparing the way for whoever comes next.

Take a minute today and look at the people God has placed around you right now and ask yourself... “Who am I helping prepare?” Then intentionally pour into one person today. Encourage them. Pray for them. Teach them something you've learned. Remind them of who God says they are. You may never know how far that one seed will travel.

Somebody has to gather the stones.

Somebody has to prepare the people.

And both are Kingdom work.

Love Pastor Mandy 

MandiesDandies / Ark of Hope 

Daily reading 1 Chronicles 23-24