“May he give us the desire to do his will in everything and to obey all the commands, decrees, and regulations that he gave our ancestors. And may these words that I have prayed in the presence of the Lord be before him constantly, day and night, so that the Lord our God may give justice to me and to his people Israel, according to each day’s needs. Then people all over the earth will know that the Lord alone is God and there is no other.”
1 Kings 8:58-60 NLT
In Solomon’s final portion of his prayer, he touches upon an important and overlooked point in prayer and dedication. We often come before God asking that he place blessings in our path. This is, on the surface, fine to do. But for many believers, it comes with a subtle idea that those blessings aren’t already present. Indeed, the scripture notes that there are no temptations to sin without options to escape it. Even in the harshest spiritual conditions, there are ways to be blessed. The issue is that of our inclination toward righteousness. Do we even want to be blessed? Solomon prays for a heart that desires God. Here he recognizes that when we aren’t blessed, it is due to our stubborn hearts and not do to a lack of opportunity. A heart that inclined toward God and keeps him at the forefront of life’s choices is at the center of a beautiful and successful life. This was the intent of the temple. It was meant to help the heart include be toward God. As the scriptures say that we are now God’s temple, we too must serve that purpose as well. We must help those around us and ourselves in line their hearts toward God, if we wish them to participate in God’s blessings.
JOSH McGARY. COM 