1 Kings 8
This was definitely a high point of the people of God. Solomon just finished building the temple where God would reside. Up to this point, He had only dwelt in a tent, but now a temple was built and it was an incredibly powerful moment. Look at verses 10 and 11: “When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the LORD. And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled his temple.” Whoa.

At this moment of intensity, King Solomon is blown away and he has no choice but to praise the God of heaven. He has one theme in his praise: God has fulfilled His promises.

From the moment God brought Israel out of Egypt until that very moment, God fulfilled promises. If you have been reading through the Old Testament, you will feel that it has been a roller coaster ride. You will also quickly realize that between man and God, only one of us didn’t keep their word.

One mental technique I use to help keep myself faithful until the end is the principle of “what do I want to feel when I look back?” Think about the times you have failed; the times you listened to your sinful impulses and you were so driven emotionally to flesh out those impulses. You felt so right, and then it was over. You reflected and then repented to the God of heaven. Why can’t we have those reflections and those emotions before we listen and live out our impulses? Ugh! The God of our Lord Jesus Christ will keep his promise: As far as the east is from the west, I will remove your transgressions from you. Beautiful promises.

Solomon doesn’t stop there – he turns to the altar – the center of sacrifice, and dedicates the temple. The outline of his prayer is as follows:

1. Declaration of the character of God (23-24)
2. Pleading with God to keep His promises (25-26)
3. Be here, stay here, and forgive! (27-30)
4. Bring justice! (31-32)
5. If you punish us because we’ve blown it, and turn to you again, forgive! (33-34)
6. If you punish us because we’ve blown it, and turn to you again, forgive! (35-36)
7. If you punish us because we’ve blown it, and turn to you again, forgive! (37-40)
8. If Gentiles come and seek you, grant their requests! (41-43)
9. If your people are far away and turn toward you, grant their requests! (44-45
10. If you punish us because we’ve blown it, and turn to you again, forgive! (46-51)
11. May you answer us when we cry out to you! (52-53)

Are you sensing a pattern here? The temple is the place of sacrifice, forgiveness, and worship. God’s people come to the presence of God to acknowledge the sacrifice, seek forgiveness, and worship the God of heaven. How much more, Christian, do we need to believe and accept His sacrifice, forgiveness, and then turn to worship Him?

He has promised to forgive if we come to Him with a repentant heart – that is His promise! He has also promised to punish if we reject and turn away from Him. The perfect balance of grace and truth (John 1:14). Which mindset do you need today? What word (grace or truth) will draw you closer to Him?