2 Chronicles 7-8

(September 5, 2014)

                The Lord’s words to Solomon were interesting, in that He describes that His ears will be attentive and His eyes open to the prayers that were made in the temple.  Of course, we know that there is no place where our prayers cannot be heard, and nothing that can escape the eye of the Lord.  So what exactly is the Lord saying here?

                I think the Lord’s language is sufficiently clear that He will hear and see in the temple, but He does not say that He will not see or hear elsewhere.  Instead, by presenting it the way that He does, it encourages us to go to the temple.  There our prayers are more effective, but not because the Lord is better at listening there but that we are better at listening there.  The Lord is not more attuned to our prayers at the temple, but rather our prayers are more attuned to the Lord at the temple.