Daily D – 2 Chronicles 7:14
2 Chronicles 7:14 “Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.” (NLT)
2 Chronicles 20:6-12 He prayed, “O Lord, God of our ancestors, you alone are the God who is in heaven. You are ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth. You are powerful and mighty; no one can stand against you! O our God, did you not drive out those who lived in this land when your people Israel arrived? And did you not give this land forever to the descendants of your friend Abraham? Your people settled here and built this Temple to honor your name. They said, ‘Whenever we are faced with any calamity such as war, plague, or famine, we can come to stand in your presence before this Temple where your name is honored. We can cry out to you to save us, and you will hear us and rescue us.’ “And now see what the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir are doing. You would not let our ancestors invade those nations when Israel left Egypt, so they went around them and did not destroy them. Now see how they reward us! For they have come to throw us out of your land, which you gave us as an inheritance. O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.” (NLT)
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Prayer is powerful not because of our words but because of our relationship with our Father in heaven. Prayer is God’s gift to remind us of who he is and what he wants for us. Prayer is our response to God’s initiative by recalling what he has said and done in the past, what his eternal purposes are, and how they are unfolding in our day and time.
Take a look back at 2 Chronicles 5-7 concerning the dedication of the Temple. Pay close attention to King Solomon’s prayer of dedication in 6:14—42. Solomon acknowledges God for who he is. He remembers God’s past actions. He anticipates God’s preferred future. He commits himself and his people to God’s eternal purposes.
God responds with dramatic and decisive action (2 Chronicles 7:1, 2). The people repeated what they said at the beginning:
“He is good!
His faithful love endures forever!”
(2 Chronicles 5:13; 73)
We read God’s response to Solomon’s prayer in 7:12—22. This includes verse 14 which is a favorite verse for memorization. Fast forward to King Jehoshaphat’s day and time. Read his prayer when the kingdom was threatened by three armies allied with one another and on the march to destroy Judah and Jerusalem (verses 6-12). Jehoshaphat prayed like Solomon prayed. He acknowledged God for who he is. He remembered God’s past actions. He anticipated God’s preferred future. He committed himself and his people to God’s eternal purposes. He declared their dependence on God and God alone.
Continue reading down the page and notice verse 21:
After consulting the people, the king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the Lord and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang: “Give thanks to the Lord; his faithful love endures forever!”
Here is how to pray when you don’t know what to say:
* Praise God for who he is.
* Thank God for what he has done.
* Declare the truth of his never-ending love.
* Trust God to perform his wonders consistent with his nature and purpose.
Prayer is not powerful all by itself. Prayer to God based on his nature and character, on what he has done, on what he is doing here and now, and in trust, obedience, and dependence is powerful.
Jehoshaphat’s armies sang God’s praises as they prepared for battle. God won the battle for them without a shot or a stab from Judah’s army. They returned with praise and worship as they had left with praise and worship.
Here we are on Monday all over again. You know how Mondays are. We have a full week’s worth of activity before us. Don’t let Sunday’s praise and worship slowly fade toward next Sunday. Instead, enter each day and conclude each day with a confident remembrance of how God’s love endures forever. Align and attune your heart and mind with his. Seek his will and ways. Trust him for all things at all times.
Need a song to help you through this day and this week? Chris Tomlin has one based in part on what we have pondered this morning. Here’s a YouTube video to get your heart pumping this morning: ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8do6hasJ6vQ]).
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I will enter and end my days with songs of highest praise.
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Our Father, thank you for the gift of prayer. It reminds us of your nature and character. It declares your intention to speak to our hearts, to tell of your promises and provision, and to unfold your clear direction. It leads us into confident actions of faithful engagement. We will begin and end our days with songs of grateful praise. Thank you that your love endures forever and today. Amen.
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