Monday May 14th

"But will God really dwell on earth with men? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!  Yet give attention to your servant's prayer and his plea for mercy, O LORD my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence.   May your eyes be open toward this temple day and night, this place of which you said you would put your Name there. May you hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place.  Hear the supplications of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven, your dwelling place; and when you hear, forgive.                                                                                                               2 Chronicles 6:18-21

Today's reading is very rich indeed.  So much to glean from, yet such little space on a page to write about it.  The passage above holds much in it.  It is like the arrow of a compass pointing to the temple that God would build, not Solomon, and on which God would place his name, Immanuel God with us (Matthew 1:23).  In John Chpt. 2 we see that Christ calls himself the temple when he speaks of destroying the temple and raising it up again in 3 day.  We may not have Solomon's temple near us or to go to when we need to draw near to the throne in our time of need  (Hebrews 4:16) but we have something better, His son.  We have been given God's temple of flesh that did come to dwell with men.  As part of the royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9) we have access to the inner parts of this temple, the heart of God through Jesus Christ his son. 

In the passage above and in the passages that follow it Solomon is asking for God to hear his children when they look toward his temple and pray.  We see this throughout 2 Chronicles 6:

1. When accused of something take an oath, swear to it before the altar of God's temple and God will establish you  - vs. 22 & 23
2. When defeated by an enemy pray and make supplication before God in this temple and God will return you to where you belong – vs. 24 & 25
3. When in drought pray toward this place (the temple) and confess God's name and turn from sin and God will teach you and send rain upon you – vs. 26 & 27
4. When a famine or plague settles in be aware of the affliction and pain, spread hands toward this temple and God will deal with you according to what he sees needed in you and you will walk in his ways (in his path) – vs. 29 & 30
5. When there is a stranger to the Lord among you and he prays toward this temple God will hear and do for him so that all the earth will know this house (the temple) God built that bears his name – vs. 32 &33
6. When in battle pray toward the temple built for His Name and God will hear from Heaven and uphold your cause.   vs. 34 &35
7. When in captivity pray toward the land, the city god has Chosen and the temple he has built for His Name and God will hear and uphold your cause. – vs. 38 & 39

We don't have the temple of stone to turn toward during our challenges in life but we do have the Temple of God with whom his name is upon and that is Jesus.  That temple lives within us.  So….

1. Whenever you feel captive to your sin, struggles or fears look to Jesus for freedom and lift your voice to him.  He will uphold you and free you from the bondage. (Romans 6:18)
2. Whenever you or a loved one finds yourself in a spiritual battle pray to Jesus to uphold you and strengthen you.  Ask for him to help you be victorious and he will see you through (Philippians 4:13)
3. When there is someone you know who does not know the Lord (a stranger to Christ) pray that Jesus will lead them to the temple of salvation because he will be faithful to hear their prayers and establish himself in their lives once they understand their need for him. (Acts 2:21)
4. Whenever you face hardship or illness acknowledge that and lift you hands toward Jesus and he will hold you up through whatever you are facing. (Isaiah 41:10)
5. When you find yourself or others in a spiritual drought, lead astray by the lure of sinful lies, confess that to Jesus, return to him and he will teach you and pour out living water into your life so you thirst no more. (John 4: 9-15)
6. When you feel defeated by your sin, by struggle, by hardships – pray to Jesus and pour out your heart to him, confess your weakness and he will lead you back to where he knows you need to be, where you were meant to be – his loving care. (2 Corinthians 12:9)
7. When you are accused of wrong doing lay the truth on the altar, give it to Jesus and he will establish your ways, he will make your crooked paths straight.  (Isaiah 42:16)

God knows that you and I are going to face many and possibly all of these challenges in the course of our lifetime.  What he wants us to always remember is that we are never alone.  He knows what lies ahead and so he has already made a way for you and I to endure.  A way for you and I to prosper.  We just have to be willing, to be humble enough to keep looking toward God's temple, the one who bears his name: Jesus.

 

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."  John 16:33

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:19