Day 245 - If My People Who Are Called by My Name........

Daily Reading:  2 Chronicles 7-9

Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the Lord.  And King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand head of cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats.  So the king and all the people dedicated the temple of God.  7:4-5

Footnote:  The temple was dedicated to God, and Solomon and the people pepared to worship him.  Dedication means setting apart a place, an object, or a person for an exclusive purpose.  The purpose of this dedication was to set apart the temple as a place to worship God.  Today, our bodies are God's temple (2 Corinthians 6:16).  Solomon's dedication of the temple shows us that we should dedicate ourselves to carry out God's special purpose (Ephesians 1:11,12).

....the Lord appeard to him at night and said:  I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices.  7:12

Footnote:  Months, maybe years, had passed since Solomon's prayer of dedication (chapter 6).  Several other building projects had been completed after the temple.  Then after all this time, God told Solomon that he had heard Solomon's prayer.  How often do we look for immediate answers to our prayers and, when nothing happens, wonder if God has heard us?  God does hear, and he will provide for us.  We must trust that God will answer at the proper time.

If my people, who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.  7:14

Footnote:  In chapter 6, Solomon asked God to make provisions for the people when they sinned.  God answered with four conditions for forgiveness: 

1. Humble yourself by admiting your sins.

2. Pray to God, asking for forgiveness.

3. Seek God continually.

4. Turn from sinful behavior. 

True repentance is more than talk -- it is changed behavior.  Whether we sin individually, as a group, or as a nation, following these steps will lead to forgiveness.  God will answer our earnest prayers.

Keep reading -- 120 days left!

All footnotes taken from the Life Application Study Bible, NIV