A Prayer of Dedication For the New Year

This past summer, I was reading through God's Word—His Love Letter to us—with the Sweeter Than Honey Bible reading plan. On August 30th, I came to 1 Kings chapter 8, and Solomon's prayer of dedication. His prayer of dedication is not only over the Temple he built for the Lord but also over the Lord's people who would use this new Temple.

This prayer of dedication is so beautiful to read!

I especially love reading the “then hear in Heaven” verses! Seven times in Solomon's prayer of dedication he says those words, "then hear in Heaven."

​I feel as if Solomon's prayer of dedication, over the Temple and the children of Israel, could also be a prayer of dedication over us and the new year. Let's read it today!

31 “If a man sins against his neighbor… 32 then HEAR FROM HEAVEN and act and judge Your servants… vindicating the righteous by rewarding him according to his righteousness.

33 When Your people Israel are defeated before the enemy because they have sinned against You, and if they turn again to You and acknowledge Your name and pray and plead with You in this house, 34 then HEAR FROM HEAVEN and forgive the sin of Your people…

​35 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, 36 then HEAR FROM HEAVEN and forgive the sin of Your servants…

37 If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence or blight or mildew or locust or caterpillar, if their enemy besieges them in the land at their gates, whatever plague, whatever sickness there is, 38 whatever prayer, whatever plea is made by any man or by all Your people Israel, each knowing the affliction of his own heart and stretching out his hands toward this house, 39 then HEAR FROM HEAVEN Your dwelling place and forgive and act and render to each whose heart You know, according to all his ways (for You, You only, know the hearts of all the children of mankind), 40 that they may fear You all the days…

41 Likewise, when a foreigner, who is not of Your people Israel, comes from a far country for Your name's sake 42 (for they shall hear of Your great name and Your mighty hand, and of Your outstretched arm), when he comes and prays toward this house, 43 HEAR FROM HEAVEN Your dwelling place and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, in order that all the peoples of the earth may know Your name and fear You…

​44 If Your people go out to battle against their enemy, by whatever way You shall send them, and they pray to the Lord toward the city that You have chosen and the house that I have built for Your name, 45 then HEAR FROM HEAVEN their prayer and their plea, and maintain their cause.

46 If they sin against You—for there is no one who does not sin… 48 if they repent with all their heart and with all their soul… 49 then HEAR FROM HEAVEN Your dwelling place their prayer and their plea, and maintain their cause 50 and forgive Your people who have sinned against You…"  1 Kings 8:31-50

• If we sin, (that really should read "When we sin") "then hear in Heaven and act and judge Your servants, condemning the guilty by bringing his conduct on his own head, and vindicating the righteous by rewarding him according to his righteousness." (8:32)
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• ​When we are defeated by sin but turn in repentance and pray and plead, "then hear in Heaven and forgive the sin of Your people Israel and bring them again to the land that You gave to their fathers." (8:34)
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• ​When Heaven is shut up and there are no blessings because we have sinned, if we pray and turn from our sin, "then hear in Heaven and forgive the sin of Your servants, Your people Israel, when You teach them the good way in which they should walk, and grant rain upon Your land, which You have given to Your people as an inheritance." (8:36)
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• If there is a physical or spiritual famine in our lives, sickness, or attacks by our enemies and we pray and plead to the Lord for mercy, "then hear in Heaven Your dwelling place and forgive and act and render to each whose heart You know, according to all his ways (for You, You only, 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." 8:39-40
  
  
• When we have divine opportunities to share about our God, "hear in Heaven Your dwelling place and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, in order that all the peoples of the earth may know Your name and fear You, as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that this house that I have built is called by Your name." (8:43)
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• When we go out by whatever way the Lord sends us and pray, "then hear in Heaven their prayer and their plea, and maintain their cause." (8:45)
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• If we sin against God—for there is no one who does not sin—yet we turn and repent with all our heart and with all our soul and pray: "then hear in Heaven Your dwelling place their prayer and their plea, and maintain their cause and forgive Your people who have sinned against You, and all their transgressions that they have committed against You, and grant them compassion..." (8:49-50) 

Solomon goes on to say:

"...for they are Your people, and Your heritage, which you brought out of Egypt, from the midst of the iron furnace. Let Your eyes be open to the plea of Your servant and to the plea of Your people Israel, giving ear to them whenever they call to You. For You separated them from among all the peoples of the earth to be Your heritage, as You declared through Moses Your servant, when You brought our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord God.” (8:51-53)

Each one of us, if we are a child of God, has been miraculously brought out of our own "Egypt." We are God's people, set apart, separated from the world to be His heritage.

My prayer for the new year:
"Let Your eyes be open to the plea of Your servant giving ear whenever I call. —Amen"

What is your prayer of dedication for the new year?