11/19/2008

I Kings 8:56-61 New Century Version


54 Solomon prayed this prayer to the Lord, kneeling in front of the altar with his arms raised toward heaven. When he finished praying, he got up.
55 Then, in a loud voice, he stood and blessed all the people of Israel, saying:
56 "Praise the Lord! He promised he would give rest to his people Israel, and he has given us rest. The Lord has kept all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses.
57 May the Lord our God be with us as he was with our ancestors. May he never leave us,
58 and may he turn us to himself so we will follow him. Let us obey all the laws and commands he gave our ancestors.
59 May the Lord our God remember this prayer day and night and do what is right for his servant and his people Israel day by day.
60 Then all the people of the world will know the Lord is the only true God.
61 You must fully obey the Lord our God and follow all his laws and commands. Continue to obey in the future as you do now."


Solomon prayed this prayer. He praised God and says that God gave them what He had promised. We still pray for the things Solomon prayed for today. We receive grace in every time of need. It is our duty to obey the law and commandments that He has given us. When we feel we are weak, we can pray for Him to guide and strengthen us. In Hebrews 13:5 it says "He will never leave or forsake us." That is so awesome! No matter what we are going through, day or night, He will always be by our side. We are to walk in all His ways; to keep His commandments and to advance the Kingdom of God. Solomon's prayer is asking God to continue to assist, direct and protect them. He knew that God must be fully obeyed in all His laws and commandments. They are also to be obeyed in the future and not just at that time. As many times as Israel disobeyed God, when they prayed, repented and turned back to Him, He forgave them and delivered them out of trouble. When He delivered them, people knew that it was God.

He delivers us out of our troubles today when we repent and turn back to Him. In these times, we need to pray, repent and turn back to God. These are serious times and it is time to get serious about God. When Solomon prayed to God in 1 Kings 8:22, he began the prayer standing. Then in Verse 54 it says that he was kneeling. Sometime during this prayer, Solomon fell on his knees. This is what we need to do today - fall on our knees and pray to God for our country, our brothers and sisters, for lost souls. In the Bible it tells us about many great men of God that fell to their knees and prayed to God. David, Ezra, Stephen are just a few examples of these believers. It is not required to kneel and pray but there are enough examples to show us that it is good to do. Solomon prayed often and so should we. So today let us pray for God to be with us. Let us keep His commandments, walk with Him, and give our hearts to Him. He has not failed us and He keeps His promises.