Read 1 Kings 8:28-30

“Constantly watch over this temple, the place about which you said, ‘My name will be there,’ and listen to the prayer that your servant is praying toward this place.”

The people of Israel had waited a long time for this. In fact, the book of 1 Kings tells us that it had been 480 years since the Israelites had escaped bondage in Egypt. Now, finally, King Solomon had completed the construction of the temple where they would worship the LORD their God. 

What a grand temple it was. Chapters 6 and 7 give us a vivid description of the place. Then, in chapter 8, we receive an account of the first public event in the temple. At the center of that celebration is the prayer that is our Scripture reading for today. Prayer always undergirds the life of the community of faith.

We’ve prayed that God would constantly watch over St. Paul’s UMC as our church continues to reach out with the good news of Jesus Christ. 

How could your participation in generosity be a witness to your desire for God to “constantly watch over this temple?”

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McKenzie, Scott and Miller, Kristine. The Journey Begins. Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press, 2013.