(2 Sm 7:18-19,24-29; Ps 132:1-5,11-14; Mk 4:21-25)
I wonder how many hours per day a young mother thinks about her infant child? Suddenly, it seems, the rest of her life is put on hold, as most of her waking moments are spent in “anxious care” for the little one. Is there any force on earth more powerful than a mother’s love for her baby?
David was caught up in an even more powerful love; he had fallen in love with God. All he could think of was how to please him and carry out his will. At one point in David’s life he was so overwhelmed with gratitude for what God had done for him that he wanted to build him a great Temple.
The Psalmist talks about David today (Psalm 132:1-5,11-14).
“Lord, remember David and all his anxious care.”
He swore an oath to the Lord: “I will not enter the house where I live, nor lie on the couch where I sleep; I will give my eyelids no rest, till I find a home for the Lord, a dwelling for the Mighty one of Jacob.”
I remember reading the biography of the great inventor, Thomas Edison. His workshop was a short walking distance from his house. Though his wife faithfully prepared dinner for Thomas, he seldom showed up. He was “lost” in his pursuit of a new invention. It was common for him to work through the night once his mind was closing in on a new discovery.
When we read stories of great saints, we are impressed with their “anxious care” for doing God’s will. They had met Jesus in a personal way, given their lives to him, and been empowered by the Holy Spirit. After that their whole lives were focused on one thing, just as David’s was. They were driven by carrying out God’s will in their lives.
When is the last time I couldn’t sleep because I was anxiously caring about a work that God had given me to do? When was the last time I was more concerned about God’s dwelling than about my own home?
As Christians we know that God put us on earth for a purpose. He gave us gifts of the Holy Spirit to equip us to carry out this purpose. Sometimes we lose sight of what God wants of us. Or we get caught up in spending energy on building our own kingdoms on earth rather than God’s—or maybe carrying out someone else’s self-conceived purposes.
We stop and pray. God why did you put me on earth today? What, specifically, are you asking me to build for you today? What person am I to show mercy to? Who am I to phone or write? What am I to initiate? Who am I to pray for?
May we be as anxiously concerned about our call as David was about his.
“The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you, and still more will be given to you” (Mark 4:24).
