1 Chronicles 22

Just before Solomon ascended to the throne, his father made all the necessary preparations for the building of the temple. David had wanted to build the temple himself, but God had decided that Solomon would build it instead. This was because Solomon would not be a warring king, as his father had been. In fact, Solomon’s very name was related to the Hebrew word for peace. It seems that God wanted the idea of peace to be an integral part of His dwelling place on Earth.

And when David commissioned the Israelites to help Solomon build the temple, he said this: "Is not the Lord your God with you? And has he not granted you rest on every side? For he has given the inhabitants of the land into my hands, and the land is subject to the Lord and to his people. Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord your God." (vs 18-19)

It’s interesting to realize that Solomon had every advantage when he became king. Israel was united under a single king, and every surrounding heathen nation had been subdued by David. God had finally brought peace to the Israelites, and it should have been the beginning of the golden age of Israel.

But it wasn’t. Oh, for quite some time, Solomon walked with the Lord and was a great ruler over Israel. However, it seems that he couldn’t trust God in every way. Over time, he began to marry women from heathen nations; many of these marriages were intended to be the means of forming a peace treaty. Thus, Solomon accumulated a plethora of heathen wives, who eventually led him away from the Lord and down the path of idolatry.

God wants us to trust Him with everything. God had given peace to Israel. He had provided rest for His people on all sides, and He could have easily continued to provide that peace—without the need for treaties between Solomon and the heads of other nations. But I think that Solomon’s actions are often like mine. Even though I know that God has provided a solution to my problems, it is so difficult for me to trust in that and continue to let Him provide the solution. I so often want to "take over" and do what I can to continue what God has started.

And inevitably I discover—yet again—that when I try to do God’s job for Him, I screw everything up. That’s because God’s ways are higher than our ways. And His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. When facing a problem, God’s solution is usually nothing we would think of. He has ways of solving problems that we can’t even begin to imagine. That’s why He wants us to trust Him with everything. He is standing ready to take care of all our needs!