How Do YOu Pray?

1 Kings 8:22-23 and 59-61 -Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven; and said, "O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing steadfast love to thy servants who walk before thee with all their heart…

Let these words of mine, wherewith I have made supplication before the LORD, be near to the LORD our God day and night, and may he maintain the cause of his servant, and the cause of his people Israel, as each day requires;  that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God; there is no other.  Let your heart therefore be wholly true to the LORD our God, walking in his statutes and keeping his commandments, as at this day."

 

Solomon gathered the leaders to watch the transfer of the Ark of the Covenant to the new Temple. It must have been a grand procession…with singing …chants of praise….and quiet prayers of thankfulness for what God had accomplished through this peaceful king. The cloud of God’s presence encompassed the temple as the priest’s left the building…and the glory of his presence was so strong they could not reenter.

 

The scene inspired one of the greatest prayers I have ever read. It started with the great words that pronounced God the one true God…..and thanked him for keeping his great promise to David.  His prayer was quite a lengthy one….as he repeated his thanks to God for fulfilling his promises to his father David…..and thanking God for choosing his family to rein as king over Israel.  He admitted that God could not be contained in the small humble house he had built for him…and asked him to continue to pour out his blessings on his people…. if they followed his commands and loved him with all their heart and soul and mind.

 

He called for the people to look to God for all their needs…that when God shut up the heavens…or tested them with famine…or allowed an enemy to overcome them….that they should look towards the temple of his presence and pray with all their hearts for God to forgive their sins and give them freedom from these afflictions. Then he asked God to promise to always hear the prayers brought before this  temple…that were said with a repentant heart….and heal and provide a way for them to see his hand in the restoration of their life through the struggle.

 

His prayer continued as he faced the people and blessed them. He called for them to keep their hearts fixed on God and his ways….to continue to wholly lean on God for all their needs…so that someday all the peoples of the world would know and believe that God is the one true God.

 

It is no accident for me that this story has such a beautiful prayer.  My heart sensed as soon as I began to read it …that it was placed there to help me learn to talk to God more with my heart than with my head.  I admit that my prayer life has way more room for improvement that it should have for an old woman who has loved God pretty much all her life.  Some prayers hit the mark just perfectly...and I feel the tears of my heart flow through my eyes as I lift up the needs of my friends and family.  Most nights my prayers are mere words on paper…emotionless ….a ritual for me…just to say I prayed that day.

 

I will try not to beat myself up too bad...for I know that the Bible says that Gods hears every prayer…and the spirit even intercedes for me when I just don’t have it together. So in those moments that satan has tricked my heart into staying out of the way…Jesus has covered me with his love and prays for me to his father.  I guess that’s one reason I am still around…and still able to search for ways to kick satan out of my heart when I need to pray.  God wants all of us to learn to pray like Solomon…with our whole heart…loving God so much that we cry out our inner most thoughts ….even though God already knew what they were. 

 

Father…I thank  you that you allowed Solomon’s wonderful prayer to be recorded in your Bible.  I thank you that you allowed me to read it in this season of my life when I am searching for ways to strengthen my prayers to you.  Help me to learn to pray more with my heart than my head.  Allow me to have the wisdom to call up scripture that meets the need or contains the promise to answer each prayer I say.   May God give me the desire to do his will…every day…and remember those that are hurting…with prayers of strength and courage.  May God grant me the words to lift up the broken hearted….and ask him to heal them and make them whole again.  May God grant me the desire to pray more often…with boldness…with my face and hands lifted up as close to you as I can be. May God always help me remember to ask for the spirit to guide and direct my heart when I pray. Amen.