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 […]
How fast and far do you have to travel to run away from God? David tells us. God has very long arms. Here are two stories in one to encourage you to pray for runaways. […]
Rest isn’t the absence of upset; it’s the calm within when we know Christ is with us in the storm. So the temple was finished, “and Solomon brought in the things which his father David had dedicated: the silver and the gold and all the furnishings. And he put them in the treasuries of the house […]
Christ is God’s A and Z, the Root and Offspring, the First and Last, the Author and Finisher. When something is to be done, obviously the one thing better than starting well is finishing well. In this, our God is the great Exemplar. He finished well in creation: “Thus the heavens and the earth, and all […]