God Hears from Heaven (Week 20)

King Solomon prayed for you and me! I find this to be so astounding. At the dedication of the temple, he lifted his hands to heaven and first interceded on behalf of the people of Israel who would come there to pray and asked God to hear their prayers. He then prayed for the foreigners—non Israelites—who would also come there to pray to the God of Israel.

The temple was to be the place on earth where the presence of God dwelt. But Solomon knew that if even the heavens could not contain God, how much less this temple he had built! Nevertheless, he asked the Lord to hear the prayers His people would pray from there: “Hear the supplications of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven, your dwelling place; and when you hear, forgive” (2 Chronicles 6:21).

Solomon also knew God intended to make the people of Israel a light to the nations, and one day, gentiles would be drawn to worship the God of Israel and pray to Him at the temple. So Solomon prayed that the Lord would hear their prayer as well and answer from heaven.

Once Solomon finished his prayer, the glory of the Lord so filled the temple that the priests could not enter it to minister. God had accepted Solomon’s prayer, and His presence had “sealed the deal!”

Today there is no longer a temple in Jerusalem, but the God who is so great that even the heavens cannot contain Him still hears our prayers—the prayers of the foreigner to the God of Israel. So don’t be shy, and in your time of need, pray to the God who hears and answers from heaven!

If you would like to learn more, join me for this episode of the Out of Zion podcast, “God Hears from Heaven.” Walk Thru the Bible with me each week by downloading our Bible reading plan, and get started reading right away!

Invite your friends and family to join us! I can’t wait to Walk Thru the Bible with you!


About this episode:

Solomon’s reign begins with the dedication of the newly constructed temple and God’s promise to hear from heaven when His people pray to Him from that place. Solomon is blessed with great wealth and wisdom and ushers in the highlight of Israel’s history when the people are prosperous and at peace and are fulfilling their call to be a light to the nations. This episode complements the daily readings from our Walk Thru the Bible reading plan for June 14-20, covering 2 Chronicles 5-9; 1 Kings 4-10; Misc Proverbs.

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Links for Week 20: