When there is famine in the land, pestilence or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers; when their enemy besieges them in the land of their cities; whatever plague or whatever sickness there is; whatever prayer, whatever supplication is made by anyone, or by all Your people Israel, when each one knows the plague of his own heart, and spreads out his hands toward this temple: then hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive, and act, and give to everyone according to all his ways, whose heart You know (for You alone know the hearts of all the sons of men), that they may fear You all the days that they live in the land which You gave to our fathers.
Last Thursday in my time with the Lord, I read King Solomon’s dedication prayer for the temple, and this passage was one of the sections which really resonated in my heart; specifically, the phrase “when each one knows the plague of his own heart.” I’m typically an ESV advocate, but in this case the wording of the NKJV was more effective at powerfully getting the point across to me. My heart is more than “afflicted” with sin -it’s “plagued” with it. And as soon as I read that word, some flicker of acknowledgement crossed my mind, but I didn’t quite know what to do with it. So, I was greatly encouraged by Solomon’s dedication and went on with my day.
Little did I know how much my Lord would make that phrase painfully real to me. By the end of the day, I knew my heart’s plague of selfishness more acutely than ever before. The first conviction was that which I shared in the previous blog, “Pray First.” But that was only the beginning. The offenses just kept piling up: a selfish prayer request, selfish concern for my own agenda -on multiple occasions, and others. I was so disgusted with my own wretchedness! Yet, at the same time, this “plague insight” caused me to cling to the grace of my Lord all the more. It made the death and resurrection of my Savior all the sweeter!
It occurred to me that more than 2000 years earlier, when Solomon prayed “when each one knows the plague of his own heart”, he had been praying for me. King Solomon, the son of David and wisest of all men, had been praying for Cristi Marie Antholz. What a humbling realization! And how awesome is my Sovereign Lord to ordain such prayers!?! While I praise God for the encouraging blessing of this direct, concrete connection to the Old Testament, I am reminded of and strengthened even more by Jesus’ prayers for me. At Gethsemane, King Jesus, the Son of the Living God and Wisest of all, prayed for me -and even now at the Throne of Grace, He continues to intercede on my behalf.
Before the throne of God above
I have a strong, a perfect plea:
a great High Priest, whose name is Love,
who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on his hands,
my name is written on his heart;
I know that while in heaven he stands
no tongue can bid me thence depart.
When Satan tempts me to despair,
and tells me of the guilt within,
upward I look, and see him there
who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died,
my sinful soul is counted free;
for God, the Just, is satisfied
to look on him and pardon me.
Behold him there! the risen Lamb!
My perfect, spotless Righteousness,
the great unchangeable I AM,
the King of glory and of grace!
One with himself, I cannot die;
my soul is purchased by his blood;
my life is hid with Christ on high,
with Christ, my Savior and my God.
Dear brothers and sisters, it is good that we should know the plague in our hearts, for such knowledge sends us to our knees before the Lord in helpless confession. Such knowledge makes us to treasure His Grace…to weep in thankfulness for Christ’s sacrifice…to marvel at the prayers of those who have gone before us…and to praise the One who forever intercedes on our behalf. May your plagues turn you to the foot of the Cross!
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