2 Chronicles 6:31

Petition 4: Solomon showed a special sensitivity to human suffering. He included both the private sorrow of those whose pain is hidden and the public distress of those whose pain is obvious. The prayer is personal, asking for God's understanding of each person's motives. It also asks for God's guidance so that the pain of failure might encourage the individual to follow God's ways in the future.

In his covenant with Israel, the Lord promised blessings and life for obedience, and curses and death for disobedience (Deuteronomy 27:11–28:68; 30:15–18). Solomon prayed for God to listen and forgive when the people broke God's covenant. The seven "if-then" requests in his prayer covered any future situations the covenant people might face. In each case, Solomon described the situation and asked God to help his people.