Quiet Time: Glory of the Lord~Oct 29

1Ki 8:10 And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, 11 So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD. 12 ¶ Then spake Solomon, The LORD said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.



I am inclined to think that when it says the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, it means just that. They could not stand on their feet to carry out their priestly duties because they were so overwhelmed with the glory of God in that place.



I really like that statement Solomon makes when he says the Lord said that he would dwell in the thick darkness. In the context, I think that the cloud of the glory of the Lord caused the area to be covered with a thick darkness, literally. However, in a spiritual sense, this is meaningful as well. In the darkest times of my life, God dwells there. He is with me in the darkness of my life.



1Ki 8:27 But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?



Our God is big. Nothing can contain Him. You can't put Him in a box, walk around Him and say what you think of Him. He can not be analyzed, scrutinized and pigeon-holed. He is much bigger than that. He is big enough handle my problems.



1Ki 8:33 When thy people Israel be smitten down before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee, and shall turn again to thee, and confess thy name, and pray, and make supplication unto thee in this house: {in: or, toward} 34 Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest unto their father



I see a picture of our nation in these verses. We are in the process of being smitten down before the enemy because we as a nation have sinned and we as individuals have sinned. The answer to our mess is this:



1. Turn again to God

2. Confess His name

3.Pray

4. Make supplication to Him





1Ki 8:39 Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;)



God is all-knowing. He knows all of our hearts. Should this knowledge not make us more wise in what we think, and do?


My Prayer:
Oh, Lord, You are great and awesome. You are faithful, all knowing and you fill heaven and earth. You dwell in the thick darkness. This gives me much comfort knowing that You are with me in my darkest hours. Fill me with Your glory, Lord, that I might be a reflection of You to a lost and dying world.