Finding Peace in Prayer
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. And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord's house. 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.” (2 Chronicles 7,1-4)
Beloved People of God,
The people of God from across the kingdom were gathered to see King David’s vision of a Temple realized in Jerusalem. The first several chapters of 2 Chronicles tell us in great detail how Solomon set about collecting the materials and assigning the craftsmen to their work. The elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes were assembled as the Ark of God’s covenant was brought into the Temple. The people crowded around the periphery pressed in as the priests came back out surrounded by the billowing clouds of God’s glory. Repeatedly, with fire and cloud, God’s made His presence known among His people.
Solomon, the son of David blessed God’s people. Standing before the altar, with his hands outstretched toward the people, he prayed a prayer of dedication. That day the king alone sacrificed 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep! God answered Solomon’s prayer (2 Chronicles 7.12).
Centuries later, in Bethlehem, the promised son of David, the son of Solomon—truly the Son of God—Jesus Christ was born (Matthew 1.6). But this time, the first to receive the heavenly witness to God’s presence among His people would not be the prominent and the powerful. It would be shepherds laboring in the fields by night. Surely, some of the sheep they were tending were destined for the Temple. Carefully, they watched over their sheep, keeping them from defect or injury (Leviticus 3.6). Can we really imagine what it must have been like for these shepherds working the graveyard shift?! Diane Chen tells us, “When light pierces through darkness, it is sudden, illuminating and terrifying.” Then add the sound of a heavenly choir and the glory of the Lord illuminating the midnight skies!
Jesus, the son of David, a newborn swaddled in his mother’s loving embrace, blessed all people. Laid in a manger with His arms outstretched to the shepherds, He was the answer to our prayers for God’s presence (Psalm 91.1-2; 122.6-7). That day in Bethlehem, only one lamb was born to become the sacrifice for all (1 Peter 1.19). And in His presence, we have peace.
For His Name’s Sake,
Brett