2 Chronicles 6:10-15: a reflection

10“The LORD has performed his word that he spoke; for I have risen up in the place of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised, and have built the house for the name of the LORD, the God of Israel. 11There I have set the ark, in which is the LORD’s covenant, which he made with the children of Israel.” 12He stood before the LORD’s altar in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands 13(for Solomon had made a bronze platform, five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, and had set it in the middle of the court; and he stood on it, and knelt down on his knees before all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven). 14Then he said, “LORD, the God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven or on earth—you who keep covenant and loving kindness with your servants who walk before you with all their heart; 15who have kept with your servant David my father that which you promised him. Yes, you spoke with your mouth, and have fulfilled it with your hand, as it is today.

Solomon stands before the altar, in front of the whole assembly, and begins his prayer with gratitude. The Lord has kept his word, he says. The promise made to David has come true; the son has risen to the throne, the temple is built, the ark is set in its place. Before he asks for anything, Solomon names what God has already done. He begins with a kept promise.

Then, kneeling on a bronze platform with his hands spread toward heaven, he confesses the heart of his faith: Lord, there is no God like you in heaven or on earth, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with your servants who walk before you wholeheartedly. You spoke with your mouth, he says, and have fulfilled it with your hand. The God Solomon worships is a God whose words and deeds match.

It is worth beginning your own prayers where Solomon began, with the promises God has already kept. Before you rush to your requests, look back and name the ways he has proven faithful, in Scripture and in your own life. A God who has kept his word before can be trusted for what he has yet to do. Kneel, as Solomon did, and let remembered faithfulness become the ground of present trust.

Lord, there is no God like you, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who walk before you. You have spoken with your mouth and fulfilled it with your hand, in your word and in my own life. Before I bring my requests, I remember your kept promises, and I trust you for all that remains. Receive my thanks, and be the ground of my hope. Amen.