Read: 2 Chronicles 6:32-39; Hebrews 7:25
When a foreigner, who is not of your people Israel, comes . . . and prays toward this house, hear from heaven your dwelling place. (2 Chron. 6:32)
When my wife and I needed furniture, we went to a show room where they had countless models of sofas so we could learn about what we were buying. Worship and prayer are not the same thing as buying furniture, but we need models for Christian practices too.
When King Solomon dedicated the temple in Jerusalem, he offered a model for prayer through his posture and words: “O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you” (v. 14). Solomon begins his prayer with reverence for God. When we address God as Father or Lord, the most important part of prayer has already taken place—recognizing our relationship to God. But note that this pryer also models intercession. Prayer is asking God for something. In verses 32 and 33, the Chronicler includes God’s mission to all lands; Solomon prays that the petitions of foreigners are answered so that all nations may know God’s name.
King Solomon further envisions a future when Israel goes into exile (vv. 36-39). Here we move from the hypothetical to the actual world of the Chronicler’s contemporaries four centuries before the birth of Christ. We have our own contemporary struggles of faith and life. In Jesus Christ we have not only a model of prayer, but one who reigns with God and makes intercessions for us before the throne of God (Heb. 7:25).
As you pray, be bold in intercessory prayer and trust that Jesus is making intercession with you.
About the Author
Kent Fry is a retired pastor and visiting research fellow at the Van Raalte Institute in Holland Michigan.
