SCRIPTURE FOCUS
2 Chronicles 7:1 - When Solomon finished praying, fire flashed down from heaven and burned up the burnt offerings and sacrifices, and the glorious presence of the LORD filled the Temple (NLT).
PRAYER FOCUS
Some research suggests that it takes about twenty-one days to establish a habit. The length of time required is determined by how difficult the activity is. The purpose of this 21 Days of Prayer Focus has been to begin to change how we respond to God and our circumstances around us. The writer of Hebrews exhorted us to look “unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).
As we begin our last day of the 21 Days of Prayer Focus, let us meditate on Solomon’s prayer of dedication for the Temple. Found in 2 Chronicles 6, Solomon prayed that the LORD would hear the prayers of the people of Israel – especially when they prayed in this Temple. Nine times he says, “Hear in heaven,” regarding the prayers of Israel. Solomon recounts God’s faithfulness to Israel in the past and then requests that He would continue to show faithfulness to them – in spite of their failings. The result of Solomon’s prayer was the “glorious presence of the LORD filled the Temple.”
Jesus quoted Isaiah 56:7 when he cleansed the Temple, saying, “My house shall be called a house of prayer” (Matthew 21:13). Paul reminds us that in this New Covenant, believers have Jesus dwelling in them by the Holy Spirit. “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit…?” (1 Corinthians 6:19). Because of Jesus’ redemption, we no longer have to go to a particular place to pray. We can be assured that God will “hear in heaven” because we ourselves are a temple of God Himself! He fills us with His glorious presence; he is near to us - not far away.
RESPONSE
Today let’s know and believe that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit and that we can be those whose lives are characterized by prayer. Just as Solomon dedicated the Temple in 2 Chronicles, let’s re-dedicate ourselves to being the temple of the Holy Spirit, a house of prayer, to bring glory to God!