In his dedication prayer, Solomon made seven petitions. The first four petitions are recorded in 1 Kings 8:31-40 which we have dealt with in our last reflection. The last three petitions are recorded in 1 Kings 8:41-53. In this reflection, we will look at Solomon’s fifth and the sixth petition recorded in verses 41-45
In
the fifth petition in verses 41-43, Solomon showed concern for the
non-Israelites who would come to know their God. Though they were not God’s
covenant people, Solomon prayed that God would also take care of them, answer
their cries, and meet their needs. This prayer for them was driven by his
desire for the foreigners to know God, to fear Him, and to recognize that the
temple was built for the glory of God.
The
sixth petition in verses 44-45 was for Israel to be victorious in any battle or
war that they would engage in. Solomon implored the Lord that whenever His
people prayed facing the direction of the temple before they adjourned to any
God-directed battle, He would hear their prayer and grant them victory.
Two
lessons: Firstly, like Solomon who was compassionate towards foreigners, we
need to be just as compassionate towards those who have not yet believed
in Christ. Like him, our desire should be for them to acknowledge and know the
fear of God. Our desire should be for them to know God and experience His
loving care. It is great to know that “…in Christ Jesus those who were
formerly far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians
2:13). This suggests that we must embrace our call to evangelize the lost.
Secondly, like Israel whose victory over their enemies depended on obtaining
God’s help in prayer, we must also pray for God’s help to have victory in
spiritual warfare. We must pray for divine strength to overcome the scheme
of the enemies in our walk with God and also the strength to win souls for the
glory of God!
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