“Now it came to pass when the king was dwelling in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies all around” (II Samuel‬ ‭7‬:‭1‬).

In 2 Samuel 7, God reaffirmed his covenant with David after he became king and returned the ark of the covenant to Isreal. God sent Nathan the prophet to tell David that his house and kingdom would be established forever. Now that David had rest from his enemies, his desire was to build a temple for the ark and the presence of God to dwell in. Nathan told him that this was not God’s desire and that his son Solomon was chosen to build a temple for God. David praised God and questioned why he was chosen by God to be established forever. The people of God also had rest throughout end of David’s reign and did they no longer had seasons of prolonged warfare. There was one season where David’s son Absalom rebelled against him and desired to take the throne. This rebellion was short lived as Absalom was killed in battle after his head was caught in a tree and Joab thrust him through with a spears (11 Samuel 18:14). The remainder of David’s life was lived in peace until he handed over the throne to Solomon whom God has chosen. 

Before David’s death, he instructed Solomon to serve the Lord and keep the commandments and laws of Moses. Solomon also had rest throughout his reign and he did not have to fight as many battles as his father David. In 1 Kings 5, Solomon prepared to build the temple as the Lord had instructed by Nathan the prophet. Hiram King of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon, when he heard that he had been appointed king instead of his father David because he loved David. Solomon sent word to Hiram saying that his father had not been allowed to build a temple unto God because of all the wars that he fought on every side, until the Lord put his enemies under his feet. “But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor evil occurrence” ‭‭(I Kings‬ ‭5‬:‭4‬). He told him of his plans to build the temple and requested that he cut down cedars from Lebanon. Solomon had enough money to pay the servants of Hiram because the Lord had given him wisdom and wealth to govern the people. Solomon built and furnished the temple and then brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord, from the city of David to dwell in the temple. 

Solomon blessed the temple and blessed the assembly of the people who gathered for dedication. He honoured God for keeping his promises to his father David and to Isreal concerning rest and peace. “Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised. There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised through His servant Moses” (‭‭I Kings‬ ‭8‬:‭56‬). The celebrations of the temple lasted for eight days until Solomon sent the people away joyful and glad, because of all the good for David and Isreal. Solomon became famous throughout the land for all his accomplishments and he continued to expand in wealth. God reminded him of his covenant with David and the need for him to  walk before him as his father did. Solomon benefited from the battles that his father fought because he didn’t need to fight all of the same battles. We don’t always need to fight and be engaged in intense warfare and spiritual battles. There is a time and a season for every purpose under heaven and while there are seasons of warfare, there are also times of rest. 

I believe that we are entering a year of peace and rest on every side. Jesus gave us his peace as a gift and nothing should take away this gift from us. “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” ‭‭(John‬ ‭14‬:‭27‬). This doesn’t mean that there will be an absence of worldwide calamities and the news will not continue to report doom stories. Jesus gave us his peace as a gift and like any gift given, we have a choice about whether or not to accept it. David could not build during seasons of warfare, but the time of rest allowed Solomon to build. God wants us to rest so that we can build to advance his kingdom and work on the assignments that he has entrusted to us. As we build, we don’t rely on our own strength, but trust in the strength of the Lord.‭‭ “So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts. ‘Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone With shouts of “Grace, grace to it” ’ ”” (Zechariah‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬-‭7‬)!

Many of the battles from 2025 will not follow us into 2026, as God will nullify the plans of the enemy. God has giving us the strength and power to expand his kingdom to the nations and the church will continue to have a global reach in the market place and in the different spheres of include. We must keep in mind that we are the head and not the tail, above and not beneath, the righteousness of God, salt and light of the world. We were created to stand out, to have an impact and to make the name of Jesus famous. We must remember our seating positions in heavenly places, far above principalities and powers. As we use our God given authority, God will help us to dominate. “And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen” (Romans‬ ‭16‬:‭20‬).

Anneta Pinto-Young (A.P.-Y).

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Published by Anneta Pinto-Young

I am a trained Social Worker who currently provides professional leadership on a programme to support Social Work students and Newly Qualified Social Workers entering the Social Work Profession. Born and raised in Jamaica in a Christian family where my father is an ordained Pastor and Deacon who has served for over 50 years in the ministry. My father is also a trained musician and our family can be described as a musical family. I grew up in a small farming community in St. Peter’s, St. Andrew and my parents also have a small farm. I credit my gift of writing to my father who I watched and listened to over the years as he wrote sermons, poems and other recitals in his capacity in ministry. English has always been an easy subject for me and over the years I have developed an increased interest in writing. I am a Trainer, I sing and have a passion for worship, the spoken word and the free flow of the prophetic anointing. I am married to my best friend Andrew Christopher Young who is an advanced Musician and whose music you can find on YouTube and Facebook. I am a trained Coach and Mentor and I love experimenting with food so I love cooking. I enjoy trying cultural dishes from across the world and I view food as an entry into cultures and languages.

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