King David knew what he wanted and he was ready to go. Not only did he desire to build a temple to house the presence of God, he had the plans already. No doubt he was excited about the project which would be his legacy, but God had another plan. 1 Chronicles 28 records David’s acknowledgement of God’s supremacy when, according to God’s instructions, he delegated the building of this masterpiece to his son Solomon.
Several principles of godly leadership are found in this chapter:
Acknowledge that God is ultimately in control. Good leaders have good ideas and the best leaders recognize that they come from God, sometimes directly and sometimes through others. But they are all God’s.
Recognize that the best person for the job is the one God chooses (vs. 6 and 10). It takes grace to accept that it is not always you.
Put first things first. David’s first instructions were to prioritize spiritual preparation (vs. 9). Only after the heart is in right relationship with God can effective work for Him happen (vs. 19).
Always encourage, it fuels good work. David’s exhortation (v. 20) includes the admonition to be strong, courageous and fearless; qualities made possible because of the presence of God. He admonished Solomon to work hard until the assignment was complete.
Generously provide resources to enable success. David gave Solomon the blueprints, manpower and lists of materials (vs. 11 – 19). He also gave freely of his personal wealth which inspired others to give willingly and generously.
Principles of godly leadership remain through the ages and the same principles that David employed are effective for leaders in the 21st century. We may not communicate with God in such a direct way as David did, but God still reveals His will to us. He gives us the desire to advance His Kingdom and walks with us to accomplish what He calls us to do.
Like David, we might experience disappointments in the fulfillment of the desires in our hearts. We might be called to submit to God’s supremacy and acknowledge that someone else is better suited for a particular task or project. Delegating leadership is a sign of strength and trust. Ultimately the result is God’s so why shouldn’t He choose the best person to accomplish it?
Like David we can participate in God’s work by supporting and enabling those He calls. We can support through sharing expertise and advice. We can give generously whatever resources will accomplish the task. Most importantly, we can do it joyfully, knowing that in the end, pleasing God is our ultimate goal.
Delegation with support is characteristic of a godly leader.
This blog post was excerpted from Lorraine’s book Celebrate the Light: Lessons Learned Following Jesus. Stonecroft thanks Lorraine Myrholm for her years of dedicated leadership on the National Board and as the former Executive Director of Stonecroft Canada.
To order a copy of her book, visit
Lorraine Myrholm
National Board Member
September 1, 2016