Pray Toward the City!

"..pray to You toward their land that You have given to their fathers, the city that You have chosen, and the house that I have built for Your name;" 1 Kings 8:48b

When Solomon dedicated the  temple of God, which was God's heart's desire throughout the ages that pleased both God and men, his prayer has specific phrase repeated a couple of times in I Kings 8:29,30,35,44,48. This phrase is "pray toward this place or city." To paraphrase it, whatever happens with the Israelite for whatever reason, as long as they pray to Jehovah toward the city of God, Jerusalem, where the temple of God is, God would forgive their sins and recover them back to the chosen city. This is the reason why Daniel, while in captivity, prayed three times a day opening his windows towards Jerusalem (Daniel 6:10). This is very significant in our Christian life today.

Our prayer must have a goal with a means and a source. Our prayer is not for ourselves, but for the Lord and His interest on the earth. His heart's desire is :

Firstly, Christ, typified by the land, the good land Canaan, the alloted portion to all the genuine believers in the new testament  as a type in the old testament signified by  "pray toward their land";

Secondly, the kingdom of God in Christ, typified by "the city" Jerusalem, the city God has chosen and;

Thirdly, the holy temple, signifying God's house, the church, on the earth, to put His Name and be His dwelling place and charged His children to come and offer worship at least thrice a year.

Therefore, to pray toward the city is to pray to God  toward Christ, the kingdom  of God, and the house of God. When our prayers are tuned according to this, God will listen to our prayers, as this kind of prayers are according to His will. Whomever or whatever we are praying for, our prayers must be one with God's interest, directed towards Christ, the kingdom of God and the church, then we are praying the genuine Lord's prayer, and these prayers will always be answered. Pray to Jehovah toward the city!