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2 Chronicles 6:18-21 - ``But will God indeed dwell with mankind on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You; how much less this house which I have built. 19 ``Yet have regard to the prayer of Your servant and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to listen to the cry and to the prayer which Your servant prays before You; 20 that Your eye may be open toward this house day and night, toward the place of which You have said that You would put Your name there, to listen to the prayer which Your servant shall pray toward this place. 21 ``Listen to the supplications of Your servant and of Your people Israel when they pray toward this place; hear from Your dwelling place, from heaven; hear and forgive.
The dream was a long time coming. But years after Solomon began its construction, God’s temple was finished. This magnificent structure was more than a building. It was the centerpiece of Israel’s identity—the place where the people would meet with God. There, He could live among them in a tangible way, in a place built to His specifications and befitting His glory.
In today’s passage, we can hear hope and longing in Solomon’s prayer of dedication: God, will You keep Your promises to our ancestors, to us, and to our children? The highest heavens can’t contain You—and yet, is it possible You will dwell here among us?
In some ways, this is our age-old question. In the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve communed with God. In the wilderness, as the liberated slaves journeyed to the Promised Land, they erected a tabernacle, a dwelling place for God among their own tents. In Jesus, we believe God came in the flesh to live—to “tabernacle”—with us. And in Revelation, God makes the incredible pronouncement that His dwelling will be with mankind forever (Revelation 21:3 - And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, ``Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them).
This hope may seem unbelievable, but God’s Word is true and unshakeable—a cause for joy. For now “we know in part,” but a perfect day will come when we will be united with our Lord and “know fully,” as we have been “fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:9 - For we know in part and we prophesy in part; 1 Corinthians 13:12 - For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known).
Bible in One Year: 2 Chronicles 32-34
Updated May 21 2024 In Charles Stanley Daily Devotion
Charles Stanley (May 21, 2024) Daily Devotional: Will God Really Dwell on Earth?
The One who created all of heaven and earth chooses to be where we are—so we can know Him better.
2 Chronicles 6:18-21 - ``But will God indeed dwell with mankind on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You; how much less this house which I have built. 19 ``Yet have regard to the prayer of Your servant and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to listen to the cry and to the prayer which Your servant prays before You; 20 that Your eye may be open toward this house day and night, toward the place of which You have said that You would put Your name there, to listen to the prayer which Your servant shall pray toward this place. 21 ``Listen to the supplications of Your servant and of Your people Israel when they pray toward this place; hear from Your dwelling place, from heaven; hear and forgive.
The dream was a long time coming. But years after Solomon began its construction, God’s temple was finished. This magnificent structure was more than a building. It was the centerpiece of Israel’s identity—the place where the people would meet with God. There, He could live among them in a tangible way, in a place built to His specifications and befitting His glory.
In today’s passage, we can hear hope and longing in Solomon’s prayer of dedication: God, will You keep Your promises to our ancestors, to us, and to our children? The highest heavens can’t contain You—and yet, is it possible You will dwell here among us?
In some ways, this is our age-old question. In the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve communed with God. In the wilderness, as the liberated slaves journeyed to the Promised Land, they erected a tabernacle, a dwelling place for God among their own tents. In Jesus, we believe God came in the flesh to live—to “tabernacle”—with us. And in Revelation, God makes the incredible pronouncement that His dwelling will be with mankind forever (Revelation 21:3 - And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, ``Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them).
This hope may seem unbelievable, but God’s Word is true and unshakeable—a cause for joy. For now “we know in part,” but a perfect day will come when we will be united with our Lord and “know fully,” as we have been “fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:9 - For we know in part and we prophesy in part; 1 Corinthians 13:12 - For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known).
Bible in One Year: 2 Chronicles 32-34
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Written by Charles Stanley
Charles Stanley
Charles F. Stanley is the founder of In Touch Ministries, and a New York Times best-selling author. He demonstrates a keen awareness of people's needs and provides Christ-centered biblically based principles for everyday life.
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