Advent 2024 : December 16

The success of a party rests on one thing: inviting the guest of honour to show up. I have never attended a good party where the birthday boy or girl wasn’t there. No matter how great the preparation, the celebration will be a bust if the guest of honour doesn’t get the invitation. The passage today comes at the end of a great effort by Solomon and the people of Israel to build a temple for God. We read in 2 Chronicles 7:1-3,

“As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. 2 And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord’s house. 3 When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the Lord on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

At the end of all the people’s effort to build a house for God, Solomon didn’t neglect to invite the guest of honour. The prayer Solomon is finishing in our text was a humble prayer of invitation for God to show up to His party!

When God does, worship and thanksgiving breaks out. God’s greatest gift today for His church remains His presence in our midst!

Unfortunately, it is easy to forget to invite God. We can live our whole lives building things for the Lord, but when we forget to pray and invite Him into what we are doing, we have prepared a party for a guest we didn’t give an invitation to. The encouragement for us is that when God’s people humbly came to God, with sincere devotion, it took only Solomon’s prayer for God to do what He is delighted to do: come and be with His people.

PRAYER: God, grant us humble and sincere hearts to seek and ask you to come and fill your Church. That we would worship you with thanksgiving for your goodness and steadfast love in your presence!