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2 Chronicles Chapter 7 (ESV)
1 As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. 2 And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord’s house. 3 When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the Lord on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.” …
11 Thus Solomon finished the house of the Lord and the king’s house. All that Solomon had planned to do in the house of the Lord and in his own house he successfully accomplished. 12 Then the Lord appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice.
REFLECTION:
- It symbolized God’s presence when fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. In Lev. 9:22-24, when Aaron offered the first sacrifice in the tabernacle, fire also came down from heaven. This is the true meaning of temple dedication because only God has the cleansing power to consecrate the utensils. Reflect in your daily life if you are always with God, fill with His glory?
- After Solomon’s prayer for temple dedication (Ch. 6), it could be a few months or a few years for the construction to complete gradually (7:11). At this time, God told Solomon that He had listened to his prayer. People often expect God to listen to their prayer immediately. If we do not see any effect, we will doubt whether God has listened to our prayer. Indeed God listens and he also provides. We should trust that God will answer our prayer at a suitable time. Reflect how many of your prayers were answered by God? How many were not answered? Did you wait for God’s answer with patience?
PRAYER:
Meditate on God’s holiness and your impurity. Ask God to refine you as refining gold so that you will keep moving forward towards the goal of holiness. Call to God for an unanswered prayer and ask Him to give a patience and obedience in waiting for His will.
