Prayer of Solomon

What are we to learn from the Prayer of Solomon? No matter who we are: rulers or common people, rich or poor, we must all come before God in humility.

22 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven; 23 and he said: “LORD God of Israel, there is no God in heaven above or on earth below like You, who keep Your covenant and mercy with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts. 24 You have kept what You promised Your servant David my father; You have both spoken with Your mouth and fulfilled it with Your hand, as it is this day. 25 Therefore, LORD God of Israel, now keep what You promised Your servant David my father, saying, ‘You shall not fail to have a man sit before Me on the throne of Israel, only if your sons take heed to their way, that they walk before Me as you have walked before Me.’ 26 And now I pray, O God of Israel, let Your word come true, which You have spoken to Your servant David my father. 1 Kings 8:22-26 (NKJV)

King Solomon devoted himself to building the Temple for God. At the dedication of the Temple, The prayer of Solomon shows that he prayed to God asking Him to bring to pass the promises He had given to David, as recorded in the verses shown above.

God responded by saying, “I have heard your prayer and your supplication that you have made before Me; I have consecrated this house which you have built to put My name there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually. 4 Now if you walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and My judgments, 5 then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, ‘You shall not fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’ 6 But if you or your sons at all turn from following Me, and do not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, 7 then I will cut off Israel from the land which I have given them; and this house which I have consecrated for My name I will cast out of My sight. Israel will be a proverb and a byword among all peoples. 8 And as for this house, which is exalted, everyone who passes by it will be astonished and will hiss, and say, ‘Why has the LORD done thus to this land and to this house?’ 9 Then they will answer, ‘Because they forsook the LORD their God, who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, and worshiped them and served them; therefore the LORD has brought all this calamity on them.’” 1 Kings 9:3-9 (NKJV)

What are we to learn from this prayer of Solomon? No matter who we are: rulers or common people, rich or poor, we must all come before God in humility. Solomon, the greatest king of Israel is still known today as the wisest man who ever lived! Do you need wisdom or understanding? Humbly bow before God and cry out to Him for understanding; He will answer that prayer.

God is no respecter of persons; everyone comes to God in the same way. You are never too lowly or too rich or too important to need God.

God's answer to the prayer of Solomon, however, was conditional; Now if you walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and My judgments, then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever.

Just as God required integrity of heart and uprightness in King Solomon, so He requires it of every Christian today. Like the world around us, we tend to get caught up in things that really do not matter and neglect the things that really do matter. Your purpose in this life as a Christian is to enjoy God and bring glory to Him by living your life according to His commandments. Every aspect of your life is to be under the hand of God. Even the difficulties God allows to come into your life are for your strengthening and are to bring glory to God.

As you ponder the prayer of Solomon, pray that God will keep you faithful to Him and to His commandment, that your life might shine for the glory of God.