READ 1 Kings 8
Solomon leads the people into a grand dedication ceremony for the new temple.

INSIGHT
The phenomenal blessings that God pours out on Israel have a purpose beyond merely
blessing them. In fact, God wants other nations to see His favor on Israel and desire to
know Him because of what they witness in the lives of His people. This truth is reflected
when Solomon prays that “the Lord our God be with us . . . [so] that all the peoples of
the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no other” (vv. 57, 60). David
understands this principle also when he writes in Psalm 67:7: “God shall bless us, and
all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.” And today God wants to bless us spiritually that
others may see Christ in us and be drawn to Him.

PRAYER
Praise the Lord who blesses us that we might draw others to Him because of His mark in our lives:
Our Lord and God,  
You are worthy to receive
Glory and honor and power,  
Because you have created all things,  
And by your will (Revelation 4:11).

I will thank the Lord for his righteousness;
I will sing about the name of the Lord Most High
(Psalm 7:17).

Pause for personal praise and thanksgiving. Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin and its effects:
You ignored the Rock who gave you birth;
You forgot the God who gave birth to you
(Deuteronomy 32:18).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind. Now pray this affirmation to the Lord:
Dear friends, we are God’s children now,
And what we will be has not yet been revealed.
We know that when he appears, we will be like him
Because we will see him as he is (1 John 3:2).

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:

• Greater commitment to the Lord
• The work of specific Christian ministries
• Whatever else is on your heart

Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:
Let the favor of the Lord our God be on us;
Establish for us the work of our hands —
Establish the work of our hands!
(Psalm 90:17).