“He committed all the sins his father had done before him; his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his forefather had been. Nevertheless, for David’s sake the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by raising up a son to succeed him and by making Jerusalem strong.”
‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭15:3-4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Many of you may be familiar with the concept and/or reality of a praying grandmother. If not, praying grandmas (or any person who prays intently about you) are those who consistently and passionately plead the blood of Christ over you and your loved ones. Their earnest prayers, over the years, have often saved many of us from various crises and heartaches, whether we realized it or not. What a privilege to be cared for in such a way that even while you and I were far from God, God still kept us for their sake. The realization of that privilege was brought to my attention quite recently while reading about many of the kings in the Old Testament of the Bible. While there were a few good kings here and there, who ruled with justice and reverence for God, the vast majority of them were terrible. They were greedy, self seeking, disregarding, power hungry, and unjust. Despite their disobedience and pride, God would often repeat a phrase that illustrated mercy towards His people. Though it was simple, the phrase meant provision. The phrase meant salvation. The phrase meant favor.
For David’s sake.
David, the giant slayer. David, the psalmist. David, the man after God’s own heart. Great King David. I appreciated and admired the way God honored David so much that even as his descendants acted foolishly, actively deciding not to follow the ways of God, God still continued to bless them and preserve their line for David’s sake. Israel was His people. The line to Jesus needed to be preserved. For David’s sake, God forgave, pardoned, corrected, warned, and waited. How blessed they were by God’s honor. How blessed we are.

Witnessing God’s honor of David sparked not only gratitude but desire. I found myself wanting to be someone God honored in that way. I found myself wanting to save the lives of future generations as well as the people currently connected to me that were lost or had fallen away. For my sake, I wanted God to cover, to protect, and to save. While I felt this desire build, I simultaneously felt inadequacy rise. David, after all, was the anointed one set on pleasing God. David had great faith while mine could be faulty. David had boldness in the face of opposition while I was often willing to list my fears and excuses. David was a different breed, not at all like the person I currently saw myself to be, the person you may see yourself as. Even still, the desire grew. I thought that maybe if I read about David and saw, play by play, how he reacted in situations, I could learn how to strengthen my faith and be more like him. As I studied, thank God, I quickly realized that David and I already had a lot in common.

As much as David is celebrated for being a man after God’s own heart, David sure messed up a lot. He was someone with two sides. He was indeed a man of God. He worshiped God in humility and gratitude. He consulted God before making decisions. He trusted God to fight his battles. He ensured that the Israelites followed God’s law.  Despite those great acts, David also committed adultery. He murdered to try and hide his sin. He responded cowardly when conflict in his family arose. He sometimes let pride stop him from ruling well. It soon became clear that God’s honor of David had very little to do with his “greatness”. God honored him because more than any error he made, David was consistent in seeking the face of God. He readily asked God to clean his heart of sin and injustice. He quickly humbled himself when pride tried to overtake him. He accepted punishment from God, not with disdain but with appreciation. He cared about God’s approval more than anyone else’s. He was after God, whether he was up or down, good or bad. That’s what I pray God honors about me. That’s what I pray God honors about you.

“… and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go and that the Lord may keep his promise to me: ‘If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’”
‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭2:3-4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

As we continue to adult, piecing together our lives in hopes of a better future for ourselves and our families, I pray that we also factor in the weight of God’s endorsement. I pray we seek His favor, not just for ourselves but our circle as well. While financial stability is awesome, salvation holds eternal weight. I ask that you be the person seeking after God. I ask that you begin to value and trust His word even when it proves difficult. I ask that you walk in the brightness of your light. I ask that as God instructs you, you pray for help and boldness to be obedient. This goes beyond living a good life and going to heaven when you die. It’s about the salvation, protection, healing, and restoration of your parents, your children, your coworkers, your neighborhood, and your generation. That’s the model Jesus set. That’s grown up stuff. That’s real adulting. Let’s begin to look around. This world is yearning and groaning for us (Romans 8:19-23). Let’s be the people who change this world.

For your sake, twentysomethings. 💕