2 Chronicles 7:15-18 "Now mine eyes
shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.
(16) For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name
may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.
(17) And as for thee, if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy
father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded thee, and shalt
observe my statutes and my judgments; (18) Then will I stablish the
throne of thy kingdom, according as I have covenanted with David thy father,
saying, There shall not fail thee a man to be ruler in Israel."
In answering Solomon's prayer, the Lord promised blessings upon the kingdom of Solomon IF he would walk with the Lord. Think about that... all that was required of Solomon from the Lord was this: Walk with me. I sit here and look at those three words and think, "Wow! So very little was required of Solomon." All he had to do was to walk with the Lord.
Then I sit here and think, that's all the Lord requires of me, you, and any of His children. Is that such a difficult requirement? I think about various individuals that are famous and how people line up to just get a glimpse of them. How ecstatic people become if they can actually shake hands with someone famous. But then what an honor it becomes if, by chance, they are permitted to actually spend time and walk with them. I don't usually bring this type of example, but the other night I was watching a documentary on the rise of entertainer, Garth Brooks. At one of the concerts, one of the people who worked security asked him how it felt to stand on the stage and have people react to him as they did. He took her by the hand and led her out on the stage. He asked the crowd to scream her name just as they would his name. She was overcome with emotion at the sheer force of the sound of her name. I bring that up to say this... The Creator of this Universe, the Saviour of our souls, takes us by the hand and says, "Walk with me. Talk with me. Share with me your feelings - both joy and gladness. He genuinely cares and wants us to walk with Him.
He told Solomon, my eyes are open and my ears are listening. Why would He include those words? Solomon's prayer was concerning the struggles of everyday life that the people, and he, would experience. "Lord, if we stray, but then turn back to you, Will you hear our prayers?" We all have times when we slip, we fail, we fall, we err, however you want to express it. As Solomon said in his prayer, "There is no man that sinneth not." When we stray, it is so very important to understand the statement that follows 2 Chronicles 7:14. "If I humble myself. If I pray. If I seek the face of God. If I turn from my wicked ways to try to walk with you Lord, will you hear?" To this request God says, "Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place." Yes, I will hear and Yes I will answer, says the Lord.
So I suppose my question to myself and to America is this: Have I offered up my prayer to the Lord for mercy, grace, and forgiveness? I can always say, "They need to humble and pray and seek and turn." But this morning, I ask myself.. Have I offered my prayer or is the Lord still looking and waiting to hear it?
In answering Solomon's prayer, the Lord promised blessings upon the kingdom of Solomon IF he would walk with the Lord. Think about that... all that was required of Solomon from the Lord was this: Walk with me. I sit here and look at those three words and think, "Wow! So very little was required of Solomon." All he had to do was to walk with the Lord.
Then I sit here and think, that's all the Lord requires of me, you, and any of His children. Is that such a difficult requirement? I think about various individuals that are famous and how people line up to just get a glimpse of them. How ecstatic people become if they can actually shake hands with someone famous. But then what an honor it becomes if, by chance, they are permitted to actually spend time and walk with them. I don't usually bring this type of example, but the other night I was watching a documentary on the rise of entertainer, Garth Brooks. At one of the concerts, one of the people who worked security asked him how it felt to stand on the stage and have people react to him as they did. He took her by the hand and led her out on the stage. He asked the crowd to scream her name just as they would his name. She was overcome with emotion at the sheer force of the sound of her name. I bring that up to say this... The Creator of this Universe, the Saviour of our souls, takes us by the hand and says, "Walk with me. Talk with me. Share with me your feelings - both joy and gladness. He genuinely cares and wants us to walk with Him.
He told Solomon, my eyes are open and my ears are listening. Why would He include those words? Solomon's prayer was concerning the struggles of everyday life that the people, and he, would experience. "Lord, if we stray, but then turn back to you, Will you hear our prayers?" We all have times when we slip, we fail, we fall, we err, however you want to express it. As Solomon said in his prayer, "There is no man that sinneth not." When we stray, it is so very important to understand the statement that follows 2 Chronicles 7:14. "If I humble myself. If I pray. If I seek the face of God. If I turn from my wicked ways to try to walk with you Lord, will you hear?" To this request God says, "Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place." Yes, I will hear and Yes I will answer, says the Lord.
So I suppose my question to myself and to America is this: Have I offered up my prayer to the Lord for mercy, grace, and forgiveness? I can always say, "They need to humble and pray and seek and turn." But this morning, I ask myself.. Have I offered my prayer or is the Lord still looking and waiting to hear it?