‘Yet, LORD my God, give attention to your servant’s prayer and his plea for mercy. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence.’ (v19) 2 Chronicles 6:19–21
Two questions come to mind when considering prayer. First, how can God personally engage with the individual prayers from all over the world, presented 24/7? The short answer is precise because God is God.
Some struggle with that response, indicating the limits to human understanding. If we assume human ingenuity will run this world effectively, then we must think again. Wilfully excluding God from life is to dismiss the creator, the one who can best assist in ordering life, from the micro to the macro.
Second, how is it that someone like me can become a temple for God’s Spirit? That again is by God’s grace.
However, just as the Tabernacle and the Jerusalem Temple were subject to rules of holiness and required certain practices, so we are to consider how we are to live as such temples.
Every day we are to ask ourselves how we’re carrying God’s light. Do my words and actions give expression to that glory? What does my prayer life give birth to as I navigate the ups and downs of life?
Our constant prayer must be that we call out to God in intercession for the world around us, whilst carefully ensuring that everywhere we go, we remain a perpetual expression of the prayers our lips offer daily. We need joined-up thinking; prayer and action are delicately interlinked.
Related Scripture to Consider: Josh. 1:1–9; Psa. 34; John 9:13–41; Philip. 4:4–13.
An Action to Take: At the start of each day remind yourself that you are a container of God’s Holy Spirit. May your temple offer a daily witness to God’s mercy, love and kindness.
A Prayer to Make: ‘Lord, may every place I set my foot reflect the character of the God I worship. Amen.
