May the Lord give you wisdom and understanding… – 1 Chronicles 22:12
May the Lord give you wisdom and understanding! This was King David’s send-off blessing for his son, Solomon, as he commissioned him to build the temple of the Lord. And this is precisely what we must be on our knees praying for as we send the next generation of graduates out into the world.
We must pray that as they face a steady barrage of messages contrary to the Word of God, they will have wisdom and understanding. We must pray that the things they see and hear will be filtered through the Bible by the power of the Holy Spirit. We must pray that the lies of the devil will not alter their course and that they will be on mission for Jesus!
What’s amazing about David’s commissioning blessing for his son is that these are the very things that became the most important to Solomon. When God eventually asked Solomon, “What do you want? Ask and I will give it to you!” – Solomon did not ask for great riches or unmatched success, he asked for an understanding heart. (1 Kings 3) He had learned from his father how important wisdom and understanding are in order to serve the Lord, and he grew to desire them.
The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for wisdom. – 1 Kings 3:10
David went on to remind his son that if he wanted to have success, he needed to stay on track with God. This is true for our graduates, too. And like the later King Hezekiah also realized, it is only through close fellowship with the Lord that true success will happen. We must do everything we can to make sure that the young adults we are sending off understand this so that they can be successful for God’s kingdom.
David finishes his commissioning speech to Solomon by telling him to be strong and not to be afraid! We need to trust that the spiritual training we’ve given our children up to this point will sustain them as they leave the nest because the world can be a scary place. And as each generation passes, evil becomes even more prevalent. But if our graduates are anchored in Jesus Christ and grounded in the Word of God, they do not need to be afraid. They can be strong and courageous for the Lord!
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged. – 1 Chronicles 22:13
