May 23 - 1 Kings 8:1-11 | 2 Chronicles 5:1-14 | 1 Kings 8:12-21 | 2 Chronicles 6:1-11 | 1 Kings 8:22-53 | 2 Chronicles 6:12-42

Good morning everyone,

Today in our reading we have the privilege of attending a most exuberant day for all of Israel. The Temple is finally ready to house the ark, so King Solomon summoned up all of the elders and pretty much everyone who was anyone to join in the parade to transport the ark from the City of David to it’s new home in the Temple. You will notice that there are no carts mentioned here. You remember what happened when David first tried to move the ark? Right? He put it on a cart and the Lord was not going for that. I am fairly certain that when David handed the blueprints to the temple over to Solomon he was quick to caution him about God’s Word on how the ark was to be moved only by the Levite priests, and so indeed it was the priests who took the ark of the Lord’s covenant to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple. 

We read that when the priests withdrew from the Holy Place all the Levites who were musicians began playing their cymbals, harps and lyres, plus there were 120 priests blowing on their trumpets, and singers who began to raise their voices in praise to the Lord singing, “He is good; his love endures forever.” AWESOME!! Oh how I love worship music, especially before a church service sung with so many like minded people. I am just going to throw this out there; Worship music is not in place to act as a buffer, or a count down clock for those who are always late. It is in place to praise God, to honor him, to draw close to Him, to recognize Him as God of all creation, God of all wonders; to prepare our hearts to hear what the Spirit has to say to us through whoever is teaching or preaching that day. Make sense? So let yourself be blessed and fall into the worship of God before services. Yes?

We’re now told, 1Kings 8:22, (NLT) “ Then Solomon stood before the alter of the Lord in front of the entire community of Israel. He lifted his hands towards heaven, and he prayed.” This prayer is so amazing, it begins with praise and it is riddled with so much passion, and love, and awe, and admiration for the King, our King of Kings. Recognizing His power, humbled by His love. I wonder at what point he quit hearing the murmurs of the thousands assembled and was lost in the celestial world of just him and God. How euphoric that must have been, we’re told by the end of the prayer Solomon had dropped to his knees his hands still spread to the heavens. In 1 Chronicles 7 we can read that after he prayed this prayer, fire was sent down from heaven to consume the sacrifices on the alter. Dang!! 

How powerful are your prayers? Are my prayers? Do we take the time to get so engaged with God in prayer that we fall to our knees with hands raised high, as everything else in the world is blocked out while we pray with a fervency that could send fire down from heaven? Luke tells us that the Lord God Almighty can do all things; there is nothing impossible for Him. And that the Lord God Almighty invites His people to pray to Him persistently, with thanksgiving, in faith, within the will of God, for the glory of God, and from a heart right with God. And when we do, amazing things can and will happen. So friends, let’s be praying. Amen?

Have a great day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all …