““When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against You, and they pray toward this place and praise Your name and turn from their sin when You afflict them, then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of Your servants and of Your people Israel; indeed, teach them the good way in which they should walk (live). And send rain on Your land which You have given to Your people as an inheritance.”

‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭8:35-36‬ ‭AMP‬‬

After the Ark of G-d is finally placed in Solomon’s Temple to rest, Solomon utters a prayer of “when – then” that sounds as if it could be in today’s time: 

When anyone:

• sins against their neighbor
• Your people are defeated 
• the heavens are shut up and there is no rain
• there is famine or plagues
• Your people go to battle
• You people are defeated and in exile
• they sin against You

And when they return to You and pray to You – then forgive and heal them. 

I personally found the prayer a little eery. It’s a list of things in our world today. And yet – Solomon knew the proclivity of the people and He asked for G-d’s mercy, knowing they would need it, and laid out a guide for the people to be restored to Him. 

We – like Israel – are found in all of the “when’s” above. We are no different. G-d does great things for us and we forget tomorrow. Often, we have a short memory when it comes to His goodness. 

From the beginning of time G-d made a way for us to be restored – a “when – when”, then solution: When we {insert what separates us from Him} – when we seek Him, turning from the thing separating us and return fully to Him, then He will forgive, heal, and restore. 

He cannot heal and restore when there is sin in our hearts. It’s that simple and that profound. 

When we are suffering and when we return, then He will heal and forgive. 

When-when, then. He longs to be gracious to us. What are we waiting for?

Father, in the words of Solomon, may You, the Lord our G-d be with us as You were with our fathers; may You not leave us nor abandon us [to our enemies], that You may guide our hearts to Yourself, to walk in all Your ways [following You alone] and to keep Your commandments, Your statutes, and Your precepts which You commanded our fathers.”

‭( from 1 Kings‬ ‭8:57-58‬ ‭AMP‬‬). May You be gracious to send rain and heal our land as we return with repentance and whole hearted devotion to You alone. Amen. 

Daily Reading: 1 Kings 8, 2 Chronicles 5

June 13, 2022