Seeking God
Day 273, Sunday, May 11
2 Chronicles Chapters 7 – 9
It’s easy to focus on the wealth of King Solomon, but there are a couple of gems among the descriptions that are gems of wisdom, not of rare minerals.
One is a reminder of what both misfortune and the sacrificial system are about.
In Chapter 7, God says, “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
Ultimately, it’s not about the big grand things, be they bad things like plagues or good things like wealth; it’s about humbly seeking God’s face.
Another great pearl of wisdom comes from the Queen of Sheba.
As she is extolling Solomon’s wealth and wisdom, she says, “How happy your people must be! …. Because of the love of your God for Israel and his desire to uphold them forever, he has made you king over them, to maintain justice and righteousness.”
God’s blessings upon Solomon weren’t for his benefit, or even for David’s. They were for all of God’s people.

Sunday meditation

Proverbs 27:14-16
If anyone loudly blesses their neighbor early in the morning, it will be taken as a curse.
A quarrelsome wife is like the dripping of a leaky roof in a rainstorm; restraining her is like restraining the wind or grasping oil with the hand.

Prayer focus
Lord, let us seek your face and live in your joy.

-Rev. Mark Fleming