Divine Daily Devotionals

Verses: 2 Chronicles 6:18–20 "But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house which I have builded! Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O Jehovah my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer which thy servant prayeth before thee; that thine eyes may be open toward this house day and night, even toward the place whereof thou hast said that thou wouldest put thy name there; to hearken unto the prayer which thy servant shall pray toward this place." Solomon built a great temple, but he knew God was too big to live in it. Even the sky cannot hold God, so a stone building never could. Still, Solomon saw that the people needed a place to look toward when they prayed. Instead of confusing them with hard words about God, he just asked God to watch the temple day and night and hear their cries. We must treat others the same way. If someone has ...

Verses: 2 Chronicles 5:11, 13–14 "And when the priests came out of the Holy Place (for all the priests who were present had sanctified themselves, without regard to their divisions); and it was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the Lord, and when the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the Lord, 'For he is good, for his steadfast love endures for ever,' the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God." When Solomon's temple was dedicated, something truly special took place among the priests. Usually, only the priests scheduled for duty had to cleanse and prepare themselves for service. Yet on that sacred day, every single priest present chose to set himself apart for God, even those who were not required to serve. N...

Verses: 2 Chronicles 4:21–22 "And the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs, of gold, and that perfect gold; and the snuffers, and the basins, and the spoons, and the firepans, of pure gold: and as for the entry of the house, the inner doors thereof for the most holy place, and the doors of the house, to wit, of the temple, were of gold." Every detail inside the temple was crafted with the finest, pure gold. Even the everyday tools—the tongs, spoons, basins, and firepans—were made with the same complete excellence as the great doors and the lamps. God did not ask for pure gold because He needed precious metals, but because He wanted His people to understand the value of His holy presence. How we treat the things of God shows how much we truly honor Him in our hearts. Too often, we can slip into laziness or give God only our leftover time, energy, and attention. The builders of the temple never settled for what was merely "good enough." They gave their very best ski...