Scripture
46 “If they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you are angry with them and give them to an enemy, so that they are carried away captive to the land of the enemy, far off or near, 47 yet if they turn their heart in the land to which they have been carried captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captors, saying, ‘We have sinned and have acted perversely and wickedly,’
50 and forgive your people who have sinned against you, and all their transgressions that they have committed against you, and grant them compassion in the sight of those who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them. 1 Kings 8:46-47,50 ESV
Observation
King Solomon prays at the dedication of the temple. His prayer is that this is a place where when the people have sinned, they have a direction toward which they could direct their confession and repentance. It doesn’t matter where they are in the world; they could always turn to God. In the same way, wherever we are, whenever it may be, in whatever situation we are in, we can turn toward our Heavenly Father through faith in Jesus and lift prayers and petitions.
Application
I once heard that temptation to sin can be defeated when we turn to Jesus, but it is when we direct our focus to despair and self-punishment that the Enemy is pleased. The direction we choose after we sin is critical. Jesus tells us to come to Him and find forgiveness and grace. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 ESV. Let our focus and direction be toward the One from which we are cleansed, forgiven, and covered in His Grace. Like a compass needle is always directed North, let’s direct our focus, hearts, and lives to the One who offers His grace that overwhelms our sins and restores us to the Father, God Almighty!
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Son, Jesus Christ, that through Him, we have grace! We chose to direct our focus, hearts, and lives toward You. Please hear our prayers as we come before You, and please answer us in Your love and mercy. Thank you for your love and forgiveness; we can come before You anytime and anywhere! You are such a loving and awesome God! Thank you so much! In Your Name, Jesus. Amen!
