Solomon's Prayer of Dedication
In Mark 11:17, Jesus shows up in the temple courts and with a whip in his hand a strong forceful demonstration, declared that my house shall be called a house of prayer. God spoke through Isaiah the prophet in Isaiah 56:7,
“I will bring these to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offering and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.”
I believe that God’s desire is still to have the gatherings of His people become Houses of Prayer. Places where He can reveal and manifest His image to a world that is so desperately in need of the hope of Christ.
In 2 Chronicles 6:12-42; Solomon prays a prayer of dedication over the temple that he had just built, which was designed by his father King David. This prayer of dedication shows how important it was to Solomon that this building, this house, this dwelling place of worship, where sacrifices and offering would be made; that this place would be dedicated with an utmost priority of pleasing God and giving Him a resting place for His glory.
Even though Solomon’s temple is no longer in existence as it was here in scripture, the New Testament writers express that now since the work of Jesus Christ, we individually have become the temple of the Lord, and when we gather, we are like living stones being built into a house of priests and royalty declaring ourselves as people belonging to God. In this prayer, Solomon makes six requests, that I believe directly relate to requests that we should make in dedicating ourselves and our gatherings to God, making it a priority to give God a resting place inside of His house of prayer.
The first request is “Keep Your Promises” which points to the Faithfulness of God.
Solomon reminds God of the promises He made to his father David, and requests, keep your promises. What promises has God given you? Do you believe He is the One who is faithful to complete what He started in you, do you believe that He has plans of a prosperous future and not of harm. Request God’s faithfulness when you pray.
The second request is “Hear us from Heaven” which points to God’s supernatural Presence.
Do you believe that God is hearing your prayers? Is there a release of supernatural conviction, as though heaven is touching earth. Are you trying to contain God inside of a well-structured devotional plan or service of prayer? Solomon says, that even the heavens cannot contain God, let alone this temple, but I request show Yourself to us here in this place. Request God’s Presence when you pray.
The third request is “Work out Justice”. Wounds are inevitable, offenses will come, and hurt will be a reality in our lives.
There is only one solution, only One God who can administer judgment in such a way that justice rolls like a river. Every church has its problem, every family has its problem. But the safest place to be wounded is in the house of God, where justice flows with mercy and grace. Peter says in 1 Peter 5:10 “After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you”. Request God’s justice to be revealed when you pray.
The fourth request is “Uphold our cause” which points to victory over our enemies. In this prayer, Solomon points to two types of battles.
The first is self-inflicted battles, where sinful behavior has created stronghold for the enemy to attack. And then there are kingdom-inflicted battles, where when stand up and fight for righteousness and justice inside of our political, social, spiritual and ecumenic realities, the enemy tries to discourage and destroy. Solomon prays uphold our cause, when repent and turn from sin, hear us, forgive us, heal us, and uphold our cause. So when you pray request God for victory.
The fifth request is “protect and provide inside of the famine and drought of the land” which points God’s provision.
During the time of the plagues in Egypt, clearly God sent those plagues, the time of Noah, the flood obviously was a result of God’s judgment on mankind’s wickedness. God also, stirred up a storm to get Jonah thrown off a boat into a fish’s mouth, only to stop him from running away from God’s purposes. Are we looking for God’s purpose in the storm, the trial, the terror, the unfortunate circumstances? Solomon prayed when these things happen, give us mercy, grace, and provision inside of it. So when you pray request God’s provision.
The sixth and final request is one where Solomon prays that that foreigner may seek and find God in the temple, pointing to Evangelism and Salvation.
Do you hunger for God to save people? Are you as patient as God when it comes to not wanting anyone to perish? Let the lost be found, and when they show up in our lives, our churches, our gatherings, and they are seeking God. We should be a seeker-sensitive church, but what I mean is to be sensitive to the One who is really doing the seeking, for Jesus told the Samaritan woman, my father is seeking those who will worship Him in Spirit and in truth. So when you pray, request that the lost may be found by God.
Solomon closes his prayer with a desire for God to find a resting place. A place where the priests are clothed in salvation and the people rejoice in God’s goodness. A place where power and favor and anointing is released. The following chapter shows how God responds to Solomon’s prayer. God is manifested with fire and glory. Laying out to Solomon a conditional promise: “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves, seek God, turn from their wicked ways and pray, I will hear from heaven”.