The Prophet and Praise
Fasting and Praying
2 Chronicles 7:12-18
The Message
12-18 God
appeared to Solomon that very night and said, “I accept your prayer;
yes, I have chosen this place as a temple for sacrifice, a house of
worship. If I ever shut off the supply of rain from the skies or order
the locusts to eat the crops or send a plague on my people, and my
people, my God-defined people, respond by humbling themselves, praying,
seeking my presence, and turning their backs on their wicked lives, I’ll
be there ready for you: I’ll listen from heaven, forgive their sins,
and restore their land to health. From now on I’m alert day and night to
the prayers offered at this place. Believe me, I’ve chosen and
sanctified this Temple that you have built: My Name is stamped on it
forever; my eyes are on it and my heart in it always. As for you, if you
live in my presence as your father David lived, pure in heart and
action, living the life I’ve set out for you, attentively obedient to my
guidance and judgments, then I’ll back your kingly rule over
Israel—make it a sure thing on a sure foundation. The same covenant
guarantee I gave to David your father I’m giving to you, namely, ‘You
can count on always having a descendant on Israel’s throne.’
For Reflection
This
is the essence of sacrificing one's self: humbling, praying, seeking
God, and turning one's back on one's former life. God will listen to
our prayers when we live in His presence, "pure in heart and action,"
living the life God has intended for us.
Pray
in
humility. Pray that you will humble yourself in the presence of the
living God. Pray that you will remain obedient to God's guidance, and
judgment. Pray you will live in the presence of God with out fear and
confident in his covenant guarantee.
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