2 Chronicles 7:15 Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.
Oh Friends, the Easter season is winding down, but that doesn’t mean we have to wind down too. In fact, we should be rising up, feeling more energized after being reawakened and refreshed by the good news of Easter, when our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ defeated death, rose from the grave with a vengeance, a vengeance to eliminate all the evil that’s being done in the world. That’s also a part of our heritage Friends, one we should not take lightly and be ready for with our spiritual armour and one other important thing; prayer. A gentleman by the name of Hartley Coolidge reputedly said these words. ‘Be not afraid to pray, to pray is right. Pray if thou canst with hope, but even pray.’ Words of living truth my people! Prayer is exceedingly important in believers’ lives because it’s our communication with the Lord God Jehovah. We talk to Him, He listens and replies either in word or deed. And the more we talk to Him, the better for us, because then we’ll be even more wrapped up and secure in His bountiful LOVE, mercy and grace. Bruh Paul hit the nail on the head: ‘Pray without ceasing’ (1 Thess.5:17) And also: ‘I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.’ (1 Tim. 2:8) That means praying constantly and everywhere in faith because prayer is our lifeline to the Father. If it’s broken then we die spiritually, like our physical body dies without oxygen. He set this in motion from the beginning of time. One of the most noted moments regarding prayer in the Good Book is the Lord’s covenant with Solomon re the magnificent temple Sol built. In dedicating it to the Lord, Sol prayed thus: ‘Have respect (regard) therefore to the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O Lord my God, to hearken unto the cry and the prayer which thy servant prayeth before thee. That thine eyes may be open upon this house day and night, upon the place whereof thou hast said that thou wouldest put thy name there; to hearken unto the prayer which thy servant prayeth toward this place. Hearken therefore unto the supplications of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, which they shall make toward this place: hear thou from thy dwelling place, even from heaven; and when thou hearest, forgive.’ (2 Chron.6:19-21) And what was the Lord’s response? ‘Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the house. And the priests could not enter into the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord had filled the Lord’s house. And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the Lord upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the Lord, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.’ (2 Chron.7:1-3) Ah Friends, talk about communication! Hn! You couldn’t ask for better than that. And in a vision, the Lord made a covenant with Sol. ‘I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for a house of sacrifice. If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; If my people, which are called by my name, shall 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.’ (2 Chron.7:12-14) Yuh hear that mih people? If we humble ourselves and pray, seek His face and turn from our evil ways, then He will hear us, forgive our sin and heal our land. Oh Friends, our God couldn’t be more explicit than that! And though the promise was originally given to Sol long ago, it still holds true today, for all God’s promises hold true until they’re no longer necessary. For example He talks about offering sacrifices in His house. That was all well and good until the sacrifice of all sacrifices, Jesus, came and offered Himself once and for all time. Now we no longer need to offer any sacrifices, but my people we still need to pray, to maintain communication with the Most High. It’s still necessary for all those who call on the name of Jesus in repentance and faith. As the scholars declare, the verses we’re looking at ‘stand as a high expression of God’s LOVING readiness to hear the prayers of a repentant people.’ And my people, I sincerely believe that this current time in our world, full of evil, violence and hatred is one in which we desperately need prayer, because our world is falling apart right before our very eyes, and we are also falling away from Almighty God. The Lord agreed that all could come and pray, make obeisance to Him at the temple, where he would listen and answer. ‘Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent (attentive) unto the prayer that is made in this place. for now have I chosen and sanctified (set apart) this house, that my name may be there for ever and mine eyes (My attention) and mine heart (My concern) shall be there perpetually.’ (2 Chron.7:15-16) It’s certainly strange though Friends, that in Sol’s time there was only one temple where everybody came to pray, but now we have numerous places of worship where only a comparative handful go to pray. Why is that eh? The Lord no longer meets our needs because our intentions are now evil and our spirits lust for the worldly things of men. When life was good, we conveniently forgot who made it so; the Lord through His grace and mercy, not our own power. Friends, the Israelites did the same thing, but when life got rough, they always woke up and remembered who was the real Boss. Oh my people, it’s time for us to do the same thing. We’ve trusted in the efforts and knowledge of man, and look where it’s gotten us; a world full of turmoil and confusion. Will we be foolish and continue down this road of futility that only leads to death and destruction? Or are we going to smarten up, and turn back to the Lord; give up our wicked ways, humble ourselves in prayer, and plead for forgiveness, that he might heal us and our land? My people, that’s the only sensible thing to do. Remember His promise: ‘Mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.’ So I implore us to turn to the Lord in prayer and repentance. It’s the only way our lives will improve and stay constant. Much LOVE!…the lines to heaven are always open…for prayer…please use them often…
Oh Friends, the Easter season is winding down, but that doesn’t mean we have to wind down too. In fact, we should be rising up, feeling more energized after being reawakened and refreshed by the good news of Easter, when our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ defeated death, rose from the grave with a vengeance, a vengeance to eliminate all the evil that’s being done in the world. That’s also a part of our heritage Friends, one we should not take lightly and be ready for with our spiritual armour and one other important thing; prayer. A gentleman by the name of Hartley Coolidge reputedly said these words. ‘Be not afraid to pray, to pray is right. Pray if thou canst with hope, but even pray.’ Words of living truth my people! Prayer is exceedingly important in believers’ lives because it’s our communication with the Lord God Jehovah. We talk to Him, He listens and replies either in word or deed. And the more we talk to Him, the better for us, because then we’ll be even more wrapped up and secure in His bountiful LOVE, mercy and grace. Bruh Paul hit the nail on the head: ‘Pray without ceasing’ (1 Thess.5:17) And also: ‘I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.’ (1 Tim. 2:8) That means praying constantly and everywhere in faith because prayer is our lifeline to the Father. If it’s broken then we die spiritually, like our physical body dies without oxygen. He set this in motion from the beginning of time. One of the most noted moments regarding prayer in the Good Book is the Lord’s covenant with Solomon re the magnificent temple Sol built. In dedicating it to the Lord, Sol prayed thus: ‘Have respect (regard) therefore to the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O Lord my God, to hearken unto the cry and the prayer which thy servant prayeth before thee. That thine eyes may be open upon this house day and night, upon the place whereof thou hast said that thou wouldest put thy name there; to hearken unto the prayer which thy servant prayeth toward this place. Hearken therefore unto the supplications of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, which they shall make toward this place: hear thou from thy dwelling place, even from heaven; and when thou hearest, forgive.’ (2 Chron.6:19-21) And what was the Lord’s response? ‘Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the house. And the priests could not enter into the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord had filled the Lord’s house. And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the Lord upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the Lord, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.’ (2 Chron.7:1-3) Ah Friends, talk about communication! Hn! You couldn’t ask for better than that. And in a vision, the Lord made a covenant with Sol. ‘I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for a house of sacrifice. If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; If my people, which are called by my name, shall 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.’ (2 Chron.7:12-14) Yuh hear that mih people? If we humble ourselves and pray, seek His face and turn from our evil ways, then He will hear us, forgive our sin and heal our land. Oh Friends, our God couldn’t be more explicit than that! And though the promise was originally given to Sol long ago, it still holds true today, for all God’s promises hold true until they’re no longer necessary. For example He talks about offering sacrifices in His house. That was all well and good until the sacrifice of all sacrifices, Jesus, came and offered Himself once and for all time. Now we no longer need to offer any sacrifices, but my people we still need to pray, to maintain communication with the Most High. It’s still necessary for all those who call on the name of Jesus in repentance and faith. As the scholars declare, the verses we’re looking at ‘stand as a high expression of God’s LOVING readiness to hear the prayers of a repentant people.’ And my people, I sincerely believe that this current time in our world, full of evil, violence and hatred is one in which we desperately need prayer, because our world is falling apart right before our very eyes, and we are also falling away from Almighty God. The Lord agreed that all could come and pray, make obeisance to Him at the temple, where he would listen and answer. ‘Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent (attentive) unto the prayer that is made in this place. for now have I chosen and sanctified (set apart) this house, that my name may be there for ever and mine eyes (My attention) and mine heart (My concern) shall be there perpetually.’ (2 Chron.7:15-16) It’s certainly strange though Friends, that in Sol’s time there was only one temple where everybody came to pray, but now we have numerous places of worship where only a comparative handful go to pray. Why is that eh? The Lord no longer meets our needs because our intentions are now evil and our spirits lust for the worldly things of men. When life was good, we conveniently forgot who made it so; the Lord through His grace and mercy, not our own power. Friends, the Israelites did the same thing, but when life got rough, they always woke up and remembered who was the real Boss. Oh my people, it’s time for us to do the same thing. We’ve trusted in the efforts and knowledge of man, and look where it’s gotten us; a world full of turmoil and confusion. Will we be foolish and continue down this road of futility that only leads to death and destruction? Or are we going to smarten up, and turn back to the Lord; give up our wicked ways, humble ourselves in prayer, and plead for forgiveness, that he might heal us and our land? My people, that’s the only sensible thing to do. Remember His promise: ‘Mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.’ So I implore us to turn to the Lord in prayer and repentance. It’s the only way our lives will improve and stay constant. Much LOVE!…the lines to heaven are always open…for prayer…please use them often…
SCRIP-BITS 