Prayer for the Temple


The other day, I read about the dedication service that Solomon officiated after he finished building the temple in I Kings.  Beginning in chapter 8:1, the first thing that he did during this service was bring the Ark of the Covenant into the temple with all the pomp and glory it deserved.  After that he made a speech, explaining the history of this project that had taken seven years to complete and giving God the glory for all of it.  After that he prayed, blessed those who came to the dedication, offered thousands of sacrifices (no joke!  Check out 8:63), and hosted a feast for all of Israel that lasted fourteen days.
The part that caught my attention the most was Solomon’s prayer of dedication.  The prayer itself is truly beautiful and heartfelt.  In it, Solomon thanks God for His favor on the house of David and for His fulfilled promises.  He then requests that God blesses the temple and make it a place of answered prayer, justice, spiritual deliverance, forgiven sin and consequential mercy, set apart-ness, and holiness.  He also asks that the foreigners who come to Israel and see the temple may be drawn to God just by looking at it.  Quite a prayer, huh?
Then I started thinking about it, and my mind went to 2 Corinthians 6:16, which states “For you are the temple of the living God.  As God has said: ‘I will dwell in them and walk among them.  I will be their God, and they shall be My people.’” (NKJV)  So, it could be argued that with just a teeny-tiny bit of tweaking, Solomon’s prayer can work as a prayer of dedication for a Christian’s life.  The results?  Powerful and awe-inspiring.  Here is what I came up with:


          Then I stood before the LORD and spread out my hands toward heaven in submission and praise; and I said, “LORD God of Israel, there is no God in heaven above or on earth below like You; for You made a promise to be merciful to those who walk before You, loving You with their whole heart, soul, mind, and strength, and You keep that promise.  Nor is that the only promise You have been faithful to fulfill!  You have kept Your promise to David, my spiritual forefather, saying ‘You shall not fail to have a man sit before Me on the throne of Israel, only if your sons take heed to their way, that they walk before Me as you have walked before Me.’ You have fulfilled this promise to David through Your Son, Jesus Christ, who rules forever in heaven.  Now I ask, O God, that You continue to live in me and help me walk before You as David did.
          “But who am I that You, the High Ruler of Heaven and Sustainer of Earth, would dwell in me when heaven itself cannot contain You?  Nonetheless, I humbly ask that You hear my earnest cry today: I ask that You watch and protect me day and night, since You yourself have said, ‘My presence shall be there,” and that You will hear my prayers.  If I sin against someone (or if they sin against me), I ask that we would be able to set aside our differences, selfishness, and anger.  I ask for Your justice in such a situation—judge us in Your wisdom and help us to see through Your eyes.  May the wrongful party understand what was wrong about their actions and justify those who did what was right.
          “When I fall prey to Satan’s schemes and am defeated in spiritual warfare because of some sin in my life; if I turn back to You, calling on Your name for grace and pray for Your deliverance, please hear my supplications from heaven and forgive my sin.  Furthermore, bring me back to a place of spiritual aliveness, victory, and closeness with You.
          “When my country turns its back on You and calamity comes because of it—whether that is famine, sickness, plague, mold and mildew, a military attack against us, or anything else—and I and Your people pray in godly humility and self-assessment and we realize the sins we have in our own lives are keeping us apart from You and confess them before You, then please hear those prayers as well, forgiving and restoring to each one according to the condition of his or her heart (for You intimately know our hearts), so that we can honor and love You forever and live in the land that You gave us.
         “I also ask that when I come in contact with those who are not believers, may they see that I am different and want to know You because of it.  Let them realize that I am different because I am completely Yours.  May my influence on them cause them to surrender to You in godly fear, and when they pray like that, I ask that You hear them.
          “When I enter into spiritual warfare for Your name and with your anointing and I pray, hear my cry from heaven and sustain me, even in the midst of battle.
          “When I sin against You (for there is no one who does not sin), I understand that You may become angry with me and allow me to go through hard times.  However, when I finally come to my senses, repent, and pray to return to a healthy relationship with You, hear from heaven and help me.  Forgive me of all my sin and give me compassion as a replacement for sin.  I ask that Your eyes may be open to the prayers of Your people, both Gentiles and Jews.”

          I’m willing to go out on a limb here and say that if we were to pray this as fervently as Solomon prayed for the temple, accompanied by an earnest search for God, we would see revival.  May God give us the strength to do so!