In 1 Kings, the Lord had made it clear to David that he was not the one to build a temple in which God would be worshipped. His son, Solomon, would be the one to build it, so from early on, Solomon knew and understood his purpose. Solomon wanted the temple to not only be a house of sacrifice but a house of prayer for all people. Because God had been so faithful in keeping His promises to His people and to Solomon’s father (David), Solomon was confident that God would be responsive to his pleas.
In 1 Kings 8:22-61, based upon God’s reputation, the action that Solomon decided to take was prayer. His prayer was not great solely because Solomon was a wise man, but the posture that he took in prayer was what made it so noteworthy. Solomon began his prayer with praise – by humbly recognizing God’s awesomeness. Throughout Solomon’s prayer, he presented God with a plethora of questions containing “what ifs” and was bold enough to give God suggested results. Solomon presented to God instances of possible injustice, instances of His people being unfaithful and asking forgiveness, and instances of barren land. In essence, Solomon’s bottom line was: If your people pray with sincerity, forgive them, and heal their land. After Solomon’s prayer, he stood up and claimed victory; he believed that God had already answered his prayer.
Can we be so bold as women who minister as to adopt a similar prayer posture? Knowing we have been unfaithful, can we say, “Lord, I have fallen short, but I’m ready to move to the next level. Please forgive me.”
Remember that God has chosen us to be His own. He knows that unfaithfulness, impurity, unforgiveness, indiscipline, and bad habits exist in our lives. He wants:
1) to remind us of the promises He has already made to us (2 Chronicles 7:14; Proverbs 15:29; 1 John 2:25);
2) us to recognize His awesome power and praise Him for who He is (Deuteronomy 7:9; Matthew 19:26; 1 Chronicles 29:10-13);
3) us, with sincerity, to turn to Him and ask for forgiveness and restoration (1 John 1:9; Matthew 6:12; Acts 26:17-18); and
4) us to boldly claim victory over circumstances that prevent us from assuming our rightful place in Him (Psalm 124; Ephesians 5:8-10)
As we move forward in our journey, let’s seek God in prayer, embracing the prayer posture of Solomon!