Jan. 22, 2021

Contributed by KS Maui Kahu Kalani Wong KSK’74

Ka Ipu o Lono shares weekly devotionals to provide spiritual enrichment to members of the Kamehameha Schools ‘ohana. For more inspiration, visit the KS “Our faith” website.

Heluhelu Baibala

ʻĀnō hoʻi e Iēhova koʻu Akua, ua hoʻolilo mai ʻoe i kāu kauwā nei i aliʻi ma kahi o Dāvida koʻu makua kāne: he keiki ʻuʻuku wale nō au: ʻaʻole ʻike au i ka hele aku, ʻaʻole hoʻi i ka hoʻi mai. A i waenakonu kāu kauwā nei o kou poʻe kānaka, āu i koho mai ai, he lāhui kanaka nui ʻaʻole hiki ke helu, ʻaʻole e pau i ka helu ʻia no ka lehulehu loa.  No laila, e hāʻawi mai ʻoe i naʻauao i kāu kauwā nei e hoʻomalu i kou poʻe kānaka, i hiki iaʻu ke hoʻokaʻawale ma waena o ka pono a me ka hewa; no ka mea, ʻo wai lā ka mea e hiki iā ia ke hoʻopono-pono i kou lāhui kanaka he nui loa me nēia.- Nā Aliʻi 1 3:7-9

And now, Lord my God, You have made Your servant king in place of my father David, yet Iam like a little boy; I do not know how to go out or come in. And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people who are too many to be numbered or counted. So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, to discern between good and evil. For who is capable of judging this great people of Yours?”- 1 Kings 3:7-9

 

He manaʻo o ke kahu

Wednesday marked the start of the first term of Joe Biden as the 46th president of the United States. Much has been made of his commitment to his faith. Kahu Kaunaloa noted in an earlier devotional that in 1992, then Senator Biden gave a lecture at Georgetown University on how his faith in God empowered his work as a public servant. In his inauguration speech, President Biden used scripture to elicit hope, quoting Psalm 30:5- “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” Great leaders know where to turn when taking their seat of power.

King Solomon was just 15 when he took over the throne from his father David. He had big shoes to fill in this new role. He knew that he was given his place of leadership by ke Akua. And as such, he needed to do things properly, to act in a just and loving fashion. God appears to him in a dream and tells Solomon, “Ask what you wish Me to give you.” Out of anything he could have asked God for, Solomon asks for “an understanding heart to judge Your people, to discern between good and evil.” He sought wisdom from God, not for his personal gain but for the good of the people. Solomon was a humble alakaʻi lawelawe (humble servant).

When you consider other great leaders who made a lasting impression, what did they have in common? Their foundation was in ke Akua. He was their rock and not just some “catch phrase” they could add to the end of their speeches. Even our aliʻi wāhine – Kaʻahumanu, Keōpūolani, Kīnaʻu, Pauahi, and Kapiʻolani – were all grounded in their faith and sought to lead through that lens. Let’s follow their example and seek to lead our people in a loving and just fashion by grounding ourselves in the Lord, seeking his naʻauao, his wisdom. In doing so, we will surely make a difference in the lives of those we serve.