The Guicciardinis are one of the oldest and most renowned families of Florence, dating back to the 1200s. Many of them held prominent positions in the Florentine Republic as scholars and historians through the centuries. But Pietro, born in a palace, would prove the adage that God often uses little to accomplish much, being won […]
Here is the watershed in every life: “if you walk before Me” or “if you turn away” (2 Chron 7:17, 19). God not only hears our prayers, but He answers, too—in this case, 13 years later! Solomon had emphasized the keeping power of God. Thankfully He keeps both His “covenant and mercy” (2 Chron 6:14). That is, when we obey Him, […]
My daughter Moira and I were chatting recently. Music is her native language. She told me an amazing fact—how flowers sing to bees! Let me share it with you. Springtime, after all, is busy bee time. In the Oct 28, 2022 edition of Smithsonian magazine, Sarah Kuta tells about Ellard Hunting and fellow researchers at […]
In worship, it’s better to have heart without words than words without heart. But why not both? The climax of Solomon’s prayer is an invitation from a little man on a little planet that’s like a grain of sand on the shore of trackless space. The God of whom he said, “Behold, heaven and the heaven […]
“I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit” (Isa 57:15). At the heart of Solomon’s prayer were two main ideas: the imminence and preeminence of God. These are expressed in the two “locations,” so to speak, of God: “may You hear the supplications of Your servant and of […]
“Prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance, but laying hold of His willingness.” —Martin Luther Apart from the prayer of rededication in Nehemiah 9, this prayer of dedication by Solomon is the longest recorded prayer in the Bible. We see immediately that engaging with the Lord in true prayer is, at the same time, both elevating and […]
Read More… from October 29, 2024 — Solomon’s Prayer Of Dedication
When the disciples—seasoned sailors that they were—cried out in terror, “Lord, don’t You care that we’re perishing?” it wasn’t the last time one of His followers said such a thing. He understood. And before He gently chided their wavering faith, He first rebuked the storm. Are you in a storm, Christian? Good news! The Master […]
“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who has fulfilled with His hands what He spoke with His mouth” (2 Chron 6:4). One thing you can say about Solomon—he didn’t do anything by halves! If the temple “must be exceedingly magnificent” (1 Chron 22:5), as David said, his son was the right man for the job. So when […]