“When there is famine in the land, when there is pestilence, when there is blight or mildew, locust or grasshopper, when enemies besiege them in the land and its cities, when there is any plague or illness, every prayer or petition that any person or that all your people Israel may have – they each know their own affliction and suffering – as they spread out their hands towards this temple, may you hear in heaven, your dwelling place, and may you forgive and give to everyone according to all their ways, since you know each heart, for you alone know the human heart.” (2 Chronicles 6:28-30)
Solomon was leading the people to dedicate the Lord’s temple. It was a tremendous ceremony and celebration of God’s representative earthly abode. The above text was a part of Solomon’s prayer. In reality it was a request that as the Israelites, His people, found themselves dealing with the trials and challenges of life that they would spread their hands out toward the temple and pray to the God of heaven, His rightful dwelling place, that God would hear, forgive and give to each one according to their ways, because God knows the human heart and knows each person’s heart. God knows the heart of His people.
What is interesting is that this was a request of God to hear and respond to His people when they prayed and sought Him out and indeed God gave a response to Solomon and the people. Chapter 7:12-15 records God’s response to Solomon, “Then the Lord appeared to Solomon at night and said to him: ‘I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple of sacrifice. If I shut the sky so there is no rain, or if I command the grasshopper to consume the land, or if I send pestilence on my people, and my people, who bear my name, humble themselves, pray and seek my face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land. My eyes will now be open and my ears attentive to prayer from this place.’”
God was giving Solomon the assurance that He would hear the prayer of His people when they were confronted with drought, infestation and pestilence. He didn’t instruct the people to blame others or fix the issues. I believe that the people of God, who have the Spirit of God indwelling them, have His Word. Our God knows our hearts and promises for those who are His, that bear the name of Christ follower, if they will humble themselves, dispensing with pride in their religiosity, pray with earnestness seeking the Holy God of eternity, and turn from their complacency and apathy in following Jesus, then God will hear and answer His people with forgiveness and healing. This is not a token verse to be flippantly tossed before the throne of Holy God because we fear and feel desperate. This is the prayer of the obedient believer committed to trusting God, desiring to have God’s perfect will accomplished in their life and on this earth as He has planned it in heaven.
This believer prays in confidence before the throne of God because of Jesus’ provision of intimate relationship with the Father. “and my people…pray and seek my face…” the cure for anxiety and fear is humble believing prayer and trust in the God who has promised to hear, forgive, and heal.