The Lord our God be with us, as he was with our fathers. May he not leave us or forsake us, that he may incline our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments, his statutes, and his rules which he commanded our fathers. – 1 Kings 8:57-58
These words were spoken by Solomon, King of Israel, shortly after he completed building the Temple. After the Temple was finished, and the Ark of the Covenant was brought into the temple, Solomon prayed to
God and then he turned to the people and spoke a benediction that included the verses above.
We see in this passage that Solomon doesn’t want the people of Israel to fail in the same ways they had so many times before. He wanted them to be obedient to God, stay on the path he had set them on, and live in line with his commands. Basically, Solomon wanted Israel to please God. But, he knew that for that to happen, they needed God’s help. Only if He inclined their hearts to walk in his ways would they be able to please him.
There’s an important lesson here for Christians. Now, we all know we need to obey God, but all too often we try to do so on our own strength. This may seem harsh, but you can’t obey God and walk in his ways on your own strength. It’s impossible. Like Israel, you and I need God’s help, we need him to incline our hearts to him to help us walk in his ways. If you’re not seeking God’s presence, I challenge you to start.