2 Chronicles 6:42 is the last verse of chapter 6. O Lord God do not turn away the face of your anointed one! Remember your steadfast love for David your servant.”

This verse stood out to me because it sounds backwards. Typically, what you hear in Scripture is pleas that God would not turn His face away. Solomon is pleading that God would not turn Solomon’s face away.

I found that startling.

That phrasing, of God turning the face away of His anointed, is only found here and in the psalm he is quoting in these last verses.

The anointed one would be the king. Why would God turn someone’s face away? Why would God turn away the face of His anointed king?

The other times it’s about God not turning His face away in anger because of their sin. Turning His servant’s face away would be a punishment, sending him to a false god, to his death.

We do see God turning people over to their false gods, over to their sins. Maybe this is a good prayer.

Keep my eyes on Jesus is probably a better prayer, but it’s just the other side of don’t turn my face to other things.

God would only do that if ones heart was set on those things. He doesn’t want you to face Him to pray when your heart is set on evil desires. He’d rather you didn’t even look at Him.

May our hearts be set on truth, justice, righteousness, love, goodness. May our hearts be pure that we can see God. May our eyes only ever be on Jesus, so we can know our Lord face to face as He longs for and as our hearts desire after as well.