Daily Devotional for Sunday, February 4

God’s Glory Deserves Praise

“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 Chronicles 7:3.

During the last Olympics, I remember hearing a commentator saying how helpful it would be if we could put an average person against an Olympic athlete in a competition. Comparing two world-class athletes can be deceiving, causing us to think less of their performance. Comparing the average guy and a real athlete could be an eye-opener.

When Solomon built the Temple and dedicated it to God, He showed His approval just as He had done with Moses on the mountain in Exodus. But all indications from the text indicate that this display of God’s glory had been absent for much of Israel’s history since that time. Because of neglect, improper worship and sin in the country, they did not experience God as He had designed. So here, in obedience to God, God showed up in His glory, and they responded as they should have—in praise.

We sometimes are guilty of not being in awe of God and of not giving Him due praise, because we have grown accustomed to His glory. We come to expect His rescue. In fact, because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in all New Testament believers, many of us who were saved at an early age cannot remember a time without Christ in our lives. A text like this one reminds us of what is happening within us. Since our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, He indwells us and fills us, much like happened here in this text in the actual Temple. When we remember this, we should respond just as the Israelites did here—in worship and praise.

REFLECTION
Envision this scene at the Temple, then realize you house this same Spirit of God. This should bring a hallelujah!

Jason Rutherford