As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your name—for they will hear of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm—when they come and pray toward this temple, then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears your Name (1 Kings 8:41-43).

Wait, what?  Foreigners (strangers, aliens, outsiders) coming to God’s House?  And Solomon asks that God would hear their prayers and do whatever the foreigner asks of you?

As Deb pointed out in Monday’s Connect Devotional, one of the interesting features of Solomon’s prayer is the way he prays the future, prays for the many and varied ways Israel will not measure up to this highest of high point moments in Old Testament history.

Solomon’s prayer is one of the longest prayers recorded in Scripture.  Prayer length is not necessarily a good indicator of prayer importance, but the inspiring Spirit decided that this prayer belonged in Scripture in toto.

Most of this prayer is structured like this: “When … when … then.”  When your people Israel mess up in this or that particular way … and when they turn to God in genuine faith and repentance … then, Lord, hear, act and answer.

But when it comes to outsiders, who surely would have been as good (if not even better) at sinning as God’s people proved to be, no qualifications!  The only requirement is that they come.  That coming would take some pretty strong motivation (they will hear of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm) and some effort.  First, there would be the journey to Jerusalem and then the journey through an Israelite culture that very likely would have, despite Solomon’s prayer, viewed them with suspicion and hostility. 

Solomon appears to ask God to “go easier” on these not-knowing-how-to-behave foreigners than on his should-know-and-behave-better people: When they come and pray toward this temple, then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Do whatever the foreigner asks of you …

Solomon seems to understand that part of the future is God’s fulfilling his promise to Abram, to bless all the nations of the earth through Abram and his descendants.  God’s after the whole world of humanity, those who are near and those who are far, those who get it and the clueless, the righteous and the rank sinner, the oppressed and (even!) their oppressors.  

God does not wink at sin, idolatry or injustice.  God is willing to hear the prayers of anyone and everyone who prays, but then comes the follow-up: are they, are we, willing to hear God?  We who, with Solomon, ask God to hear … and act, are we willing to hear (from God) and act (accordingly)?

Take a moment to pray for “foreigners” (strangers, aliens, outsiders), whatever kind of “foreigner” you like.  Ask that God would draw them, that they would come toward God – and that we would be a help not a hindrance in that gracious process.  What are one or two ways you might be a hindrance?  How would you like to pray about that?