As for you, if you walk before me faithfully as David your father did, and do all I command, and observe my decrees and laws, I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor to rule over Israel.’
2 Chronicles 7:17-18 NIV
In 2 Chronicles 7:17, God spoke a personal word to Solomon. The instruction reads: “As for you, if you walk before me faithfully as David your father did, and do all I command and observe my decrees and laws.” Notably, walking faithfully before God is not only a collective calling. It is, above all, a deeply personal one.
God calls the whole world to righteousness and holiness. Yet He also reaches into that broad invitation and speaks to individuals. In particular, the phrase “as for you” in this verse carries extraordinary weight. It places the responsibility squarely on one person at a time. The question is not what others are doing. The question, rather, is what you are doing.
No matter what the congregation does, God has a particular instruction for you. It does not matter which way others are going. Moreover, His word to you specifically remains steady, regardless of the crowd. So the most important question is not “what are others doing?” — it is “what is God’s instruction for me?”
Walking Faithfully Before God Means Seeking His Approval
That shift — from watching the crowd to hearing God directly — is the essence of individual responsibility before Him. As far as your walk is concerned, God’s “as for you” settles the matter. Personal accountability, not collective conformity, is what He demands.
Consider the precise phrase: walk before me faithfully. Not before the congregation. Not before a spiritual leader or the expectations of others. It is God who measures this walk, and His gaze alone is the standard. Therefore, the approval we seek is not human recognition. Rather, it is God’s approval. The person walking faithfully before God understands that what matters is what He sees — not what people around them observe. This conviction removes the weight of comparison. It places us, instead, directly before the One whose assessment truly counts.
Line upon Line: How God’s Daily Instructions Arrive
Keeping God’s decrees and laws does not require grasping everything at once. Isaiah 28:10 describes how instruction comes: “a rule for this, a rule for that — a little here, a little there.” This is the pattern of obedience. It unfolds step by step, precept upon precept.
Consequently, the daily discipline is this: seek to know what God is asking today. What is His instruction for this moment? What does He require right now? Then act on it. Do not let these step-by-step instructions slip away. Each one builds upon the last, forming a life of faithful obedience.
Indeed, walking faithfully before God comes down to this daily pursuit — learning His instruction and doing it. In 2 Chronicles 7:17, God addressed Solomon as an individual. He addresses each of us the same way. His demand is consistent: walk before Him faithfully, do all He commands, and observe His decrees. This is not a corporate mandate alone. It is His personal word to you.
Living It Out
Do not look to others to set the pace of your walk with God. Instead, ask Him directly what He requires of you today. Then walk before Him in it — faithfully, personally, and without waiting for the crowd to move first.