1 Kings 8: The Prayer of a King

⁵⁶ “Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses. ⁵⁷ May the Lord our God be with us as he was with our ancestors; may he never leave us nor forsake us. ⁵⁸ May he turn our hearts to him, to walk in obedience to him and keep the commands, decrees and laws he gave our ancestors. ⁵⁹ And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, that he may uphold the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel according to each day’s need, ⁶⁰ so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God and that there is no other. ⁶¹ And may your hearts be fully committed to the Lord our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time.” -1 Kings 8:56-61

I love 1 Kings 8! Why? Most of the words consist of a well-written prayer–one given by Solomon king of Israel.

There is not much I could add to what is said above. My only thought is how amazing it would be to hear or see a national leader give a similar prayer today, one with conviction, devotion to God, and respect for the One who truly reigns over all.

But even if not, this prayer represents the kind of prayers you and I can offer to our Lord today. As God leads, we can also encourage those under our influence with the words we pray on behalf of them and their needs.