by Steve Cordle
After the dream in which God promised the newly-crowned king Solomon both wisdom AND riches, Solomon returned to Jerusalem – the place of God’s dwelling. He sought out the ark of the covenant, which was where the Lord’s presence centered. And what did he do?
“Solomon stood before the ark…” (1 Kings 3:15)
Solomon stood before the Lord’s presence. He wasn’t planning, ruling, preaching, or traveling. He stood – making himself available to God. A new king — so much to do — and yet he stood…. still.
How often do we “stand before the Lord”? How much more effective might our ministries be if we did so more often? Part of being still before the Lord is to quiet ourselves inwardly. I admit, standing doesn’t always come naturally to me.
Notably, the passage immediately following the account of Solomon’s time of standing is his famous test of wisdom of two women claiming the same child. It seems Solomon’s standing before the Lord allowed him to access the promised wisdom from God.
I haven’t always asked ministry leaders how they are doing in their devotional life – as if we should be beyond discussing such a seemingly basic thing. No more. I regularly ask “How is your life with Jesus?”, and I have a partner who asks me that question weekly. Standing.