After Pew

Tag: 1 Kings

  • Solomon’s Prayer: 1 Kings 8

    When I was first exploring Christianity, I thought that following God was about seeking truth and trying to live in a way that earned His approvaI. I wasn’t trying to be perfect; I knew that wasn’t possible. But I thought that if I searched hard enough and did the right things, I could find God and make myself right with Him. It wasn’t until I began to truly understand the gospel that things started to fall into place.

    Jesus didn’t save me because I figured out the right buttons to push or because I was making better choices—He saved me knowing I would still mess up. He went to the cross not just for the world, but for me, and His forgiveness wasn’t something I had to earn. I simply had to believe and to accept the gift He was offering me.

    In my searching and brokenness, Jesus found me and offered what I was truly longing for: redemption, a relationship, and purpose. And from that place of grace, I’m learning what it means to live a life that serves and honors Him.

    That is the beauty of 1 Kings 8. Solomon stood before the altar and prayed one of the longest prayers recorded in Scripture (1 Kings 8:22-53). As he dedicated the temple, deeply aware of who God is, he asked God to hear the prayers of His people when they sinned, when they suffered, when they turned back to Him in repentance.

    Not if, but when.

    1 Kings 8:35-36—”When heaven is shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against You, if they pray toward this place and acknowledge Your name and turn from their sin, when You afflict them, then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of Your servants.”

    Solomon knew the human heart would stray. And yet, he asked God to dwell among them anyway. That’s a great example for us.

    Solomon’s prayer reminds us that God never expected perfection—only humility and a willingness to invite Him to dwell with us. He begins with worship, declaring God’s faithfulness to His covenant and His promises to David. God had been true to His word, and Solomon knew He would continue to be. He wasn’t just asking for help or offering thanks—he was recognizing God’s rightful place at the center of everything.

    I talk to God often—offering gratitude, asking for help, lifting up prayers for others. But how often do I invite Him into my life beyond that? Do I think to welcome Him into my thoughts as I go about my day? Into my decisions, big and small? Into my moments of boredom, frustration, or joy—not just with words, but with an openness to His presence?

    1 Kings 8:27—“But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You, how much less this house that I have built!”

    Solomon acknowledges that no temple could ever contain the fullness of God, yet he pleads with God to hear the prayers of His people—whether they are standing in the temple or far from it. God’s mercy is not confined to a place but flows from His heart.

    Solomon anticipates the reality of sin and pleads for God’s forgiveness and restoration when His people humble themselves and repent.

    Solomon acknowledges human weakness, saying, “There is no one who does not sin” (8:46), and asks God to show mercy when His people turn back to Him, even from a place of exile and discipline.

    1 Kings 8:39-40 – “For You, You alone, know the hearts of all the children of mankind, that they may fear You all the days that they live in the land that You gave to our fathers.”

    Final Thought:

    This is what I took away from 1 Kings 8. Solomon didn’t stand before God on the basis of what he had built, but on who God is. And that’s exactly what I’ve come to understand in my own walk with Christ.

    My confidence before God isn’t found in what I’ve done—or what I’ll ever do—but in what Christ has already done for me on the cross

    Solomon’s prayer shows us that God was never expecting perfect people. He was looking for humble hearts willing to turn back to Him in repentance.

    God hears.
    God forgives.
    God dwells with us.

    May we rest in this truth: we are heard, we are forgiven, we are welcomed—not because we are perfect, but because He is merciful.

  • Losing The Game: And Finding Jesus

    Ever play The Game? You know, that weird anti-memory thing where the rule is: if you think about The Game, you lose? I hadn’t thought about it in a while—until this afternoon. Probably because I caught myself doing the same thing with Jesus.

    I was folding laundry, not thinking about Him at all, and then it hit me: “Wait, I wasn’t thinking about Jesus.” Boom. I lost The Game.

    Only, this is not a game—it’s my walk with Him.

    It’s weird how that works. The Game’s whole trick is you’re fine until you remember it, and then you lose.

    And today, I realized that’s how it goes with God sometimes. I’ll be cruising through my day—driving, writing, more driving—and then it hits me. I haven’t invited Him into it. Maybe I’m too caught up in the id—all those little wants and worries pulling me sideways.

    I just… forget.

    And the second I notice, it’s like losing The Game all over again. Except instead of a silly “dang it,” it’s a quiet, “Hey, where’d you[Jesus] go in my head?”

    The idea to try and always be thinking of Jesus came to me as I was reciting 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 to myself.

    1 Thessalonians 5:16-18—“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

    This is like a mantra to me. I say these verses all the time because they’re such a concise prescription of what a Christian ought to do. When we who want to be good Christians ask ourselves, “What can we do?” Paul says, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances.”

    Man, that’s a tall order. Pray without ceasing?

    Like, every second?

    It sounds like we’re supposed to be muttering prayers non-stop. But as I’ve been studying Colossians 3, 1 Kings 8, and Proverbs, I’ve seen a recurring theme.

    Colossians 3:16-17—“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

    1 Kings 8:27
    “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this house that I have built!”

    Proverbs 8:17
    “I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.”

    It’s about inviting God into our life and keeping Him in the mix—having a constant awareness. Like breathing. You don’t think about every breath, but it’s always there. So that’s a goal I’ve set for myself.

    It’s not easy. The other morning, I began to stress when I noticed how many medical appointments had racked up on my calendar, and my mind was spiraling.

    No rejoicing. No thanks. Definitely no Jesus.

    Then I caught it—like remembering The Game—and thought, “Okay, I’ve lost this round.” But here’s the twist: losing’s not the end. When I realize I’ve drifted, it’s a chance to invite Him back in.

    I stop, take a breath, and say, “Hey, Jesus, come back into this.” Like Paul’s saying: start rejoicing now. Pray right here. Give thanks even when your mortality nudges its way into your thoughts.

    Final Thought:

    I’m not there yet—nowhere close. Sometimes I’m rooted in Him, like Colossians keeps telling me to be. And other times, it takes that “oh shoot, I lost” moment to pull me back. Maybe that’s what Paul meant—living so tuned to God that drifting feels like losing, and coming back feels like home.

    It’s a weird little parallel, this Game thing, but at least it got me thinking:

    How often do I let Him slip out of focus?

    And how quick can I turn it around when I do?

    But I think that’s the point. The goal isn’t perfection; it’s persistence.

    Keeping Jesus in the game—not The Game, but my game, my life. Every time I catch myself forgetting, it’s a win. Because I’m remembering to bring Him in again.