A Poem Inspired by 1 Chronicles 28:20
When twilight settled soft on Zion’s hill
And cedar shadows stretched along the stones,
The aged king stood still before the court,
His silvered hair like winter on the fields,
His voice both worn by sorrow and by praise.
Around him gathered princes, captains, sons—
The builders of tomorrow’s sacred walls.
The air was heavy with departing days,
For time had laid its hand upon the king,
And though his heart burned bright with holy fire,
His strength had grown as fragile as dry leaves
That tremble at the whisper of the wind.
Before him stood the son of his old age,
The chosen heir whose hands would shape the house
Where prayers would rise like incense to the heavens.
Solomon listened in the fading light
While David’s eyes held both the past and hope.
“My son,” the king began with steady breath,
“Be strong, and let no trembling rule your heart.
The work before you is no work of men
Who build for glory carved in mortal stone;
It is the dwelling place of God Most High,
The house where earth shall bow before the sky.
Take courage when the road grows steep with doubt,
When voices murmur failure in the dark,
When weariness creeps quietly like mist
Across the valleys of a troubled mind.
For strength is not the gift of flesh alone,
Nor courage born from pride of human will;
The Lord Himself walks quietly beside
The one who trusts His everlasting hand.
He will not leave you wandering in the dust,
Nor let the shadow swallow all your light.
His promise stands more firm than mountains stand,
More faithful than the turning of the stars.
Do not grow faint before the rising stones,
Nor shrink when weight and labor test your soul.
Each beam you raise, each pillar carved with care,
Is known already in the courts of heaven.
The Lord who shaped the oceans with a word
Has measured every chamber of this house.
He calls the craftsmen by their hidden names
And plants the wisdom gently in their hands.
The gold is His, the silver and the fire,
The forests bending in the distant wind.
All things that breathe beneath the open sky
Belong to Him whose mercy never fades.
So take the charge entrusted to your days
And hold it like a lamp against the night.
For though a king may fade like autumn grass,
The purpose of the Lord shall never fail.
Remember when your spirit feels alone
That heaven watches every faithful step.
The God who walked beside me in my wars,
Who lifted me when sorrow crushed my bones,
Will stand beside you also in this task.
He does not tire when human strength is spent,
Nor sleep when guardians close their weary eyes.
His watchful presence moves through every hour
Like quiet rivers flowing through the earth.
Therefore rise, my son, and build the house.
Let neither fear nor doubt delay your hand.
The Lord is with you as the morning sun
That drives the darkness from the waking hills.
Be strong, be brave, and let your heart stand firm
Until the final stone is set in place.”
The king fell silent as the evening deepened,
And somewhere in the courts a trumpet cried.
The stars appeared like witnesses above
While Solomon received the ancient charge.
And long after the king had joined the dust,
Those words still walked the corridors of time—
A whisper carried through the hearts of men:
Be strong.
Take courage.
Do the work set before you.
For the Lord is with you,
And He will not fail you.
No comments:
Post a Comment