Prayer

 then hear in heaven your dwelling place and forgive and act and render to each whose heart you know, according to all his ways (for you, you only, know the hearts of all the children of mankind),
1 Kings 8:39 ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/1ki.8.39.ESV

In the context, Solomon is referring to prayers to God to get rid of plague. Innumerable prayers have gone to God to get rid of coronavirus. Whilst it's still around, thankfully we seem to be over the worst of it.

God allows things like pandemics as a judgement on rebellious mankind. That's why Solomon asks God to be merciful and just in His dealings with us. God knows our hearts- whether we only pray when we're in trouble; or whether we have a genuine relationship with Him.

Solomon might have built God a glorious temple, but it was all downhill from here. His many pagan wives led his heart astray from a pure, undivided devotion to God. Still, I take Ecclesiastes to be his repentant swansong as it were.

We would do well to learn from Solomon's cautionary tale. It's all very well to have 'mountaintop experiences' of God; but the rubber hits the road in the valleys of our day to day experience. Will we follow God in the hard times as well as the good?

'O Lord God, Almighty One, may we worship You as You deserve, not just in the good times, but also in the hard times. In Christ's name we pray, amen'

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