For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.
– 1 Kings 11:4
I want to encourage you to listen very closely today to this language. Because when we read about Solomon and his many wives, we might just immediately check out. And say, well, I don’t have many wives, or I don’t have many husbands, so this doesn’t apply to me. But listen to the language. “When Solomon was old, his wives turned away, his heart after other gods”. And I just want to camp out on that phrase, “turned away his heart” in such a way that verse goes on to say “his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God”.
1 Kings 11:4 teaches us to examine our heart’s affections.
So I just want to encourage you and me, I’m doing this with you to ask today, what in our lives is turning away our hearts in any way from God? Is there anything in our lives that is turning our hearts away from God? Just let that language soak in. We want to fill our lives with that which turns our hearts to God, not away from God. And that means examining anything that is not fueling affection for God.
And I just want to encourage you, as you examine your heart today. To guard against anything that’s turning your heart away from God. To repent of any ways your heart is turned away from God. And to fill your life today with that which fuels your heart for God helps your heart be wholly true to the Lord your God. This is the first and greatest commandment, to love God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.
So, God, we pray for this. We want to love you with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength. We know this is where life is found. Lord, we are made for love relationship with you, for hearts turned wholly to you, for hearts that are wholly true to you. God, we pray, forgive us for sin in our lives. Forgive us for disobedience. Forgive us for distrust, for dishonor towards you.
1 Kings 11:4 pictures the slow drift from faithfulness.
God, we pray that you would forgive us for ways we have turned our hearts from you to other things and other people in ways that you alone deserve. Yes, God, help us to love people and enjoy things that you provide all with a heart that is wholly true to you, that is wholly captivated by you. God, we pray, open our eyes to see any and everything in our lives that is turning away our heart from you.
Even good things that we are becoming so focused on that compete with affection for you. God, deliver us from idols, whether that’s success, sex, sports, hobbies, possessions, pursuits in this world, people… Even good things, even good people. God, we pray to help us to love you with all our hearts, soul, mind, and strength. To worship you with hearts that are wholly true to you in light of, oh God, your heart for us, your love for us.
Oh God, we praise you for your sacrificial divine, infinitely glorious love for us. Help us in a John 15 kind of way to abide in your love and to love you and others out of the overflow of enjoyment of your love for us and spreading your love for us.
Prayer for the Luobohe Miao People
God, we pray for the Luobohe Miao people of China, a hundred thousand men, women, and children worshiping a variety of different gods or spirits or some no-god.
God, we pray for the Luobohe Miao people of China to be reached with your love in Jesus. We pray that you would make us the kind of people who let go of lesser loves to make your love known in the world, no matter what that means in our lives. Oh God, we pray you would keep us from 1 Kings 11:4, from our heart being turned away from you in any way. We pray for hearts by your grace in us, by your love at work in us that are wholly true to you. The Lord our God. We pray this in light of 1 Kings 11:4. In Jesus’ name, amen.
David Platt serves as a Lead Pastor for McLean Bible Church. He is also the Founder of Radical, an organization that makes Jesus known among the nations.
David received his B.A. from the University of Georgia and M.Div., Th.M., and Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Some of his published works include Radical, Radical Together, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Don’t Hold Back, and How to Read the Bible.
He lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area with his wife and children.
