May 14, 2013: Catching Up.../ Fire Fall!

1 Kings 8:30-53

Amplified Bible (AMP)

30 Hearken to the prayer of Your servant and of Your people Israel when they pray in ortoward this place. Hear in heaven, Your dwelling place, and when You hear, forgive.

31 Whenever a man sins against his neighbor and is made to take an oath and comes and swears the oath before Your altar in this house,

32 Then hear in heaven and do and judge Your servants, condemning the wicked by bringing his guilt upon his own head and justifying the [uncompromisingly] righteous by rewarding him according to his righteousness (his uprightness, right standing with God).

33 When Your people Israel are struck down before the enemy because they have sinned against You, and they turn again to You, confess Your [a]name (Your revelation of Yourself), and pray, beseeching You in this house,

34 Then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of Your people Israel and return them to the land You gave to their fathers.

35 When heaven is shut up and no rain falls because they have sinned against You, if they pray in [or toward] this place and confess Your name (Your revelation of Yourself) and turn from their sin when You afflict them,

36 Then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of Your servants, Your people Israel, when You teach them the good way in which they should walk. And give rain upon Your land which You have given to Your people as an inheritance.

37 If there is famine in the land or pestilence, blight, mildew, locust, or caterpillar, if their enemy besieges them in the land of their cities, whatever plague, whatever sickness there is,

38 Whatever prayer or supplication is made by any or all of Your people Israel—each man knowing the affliction of his own heart, and spreading forth his hands toward this house [and its pledge of Your presence]—

39 Then hear in heaven, Your dwelling place, and forgive and act and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart You know, for You and You only know the hearts of all the children of men,

40 That they may fear and revere You all the days that they live in the land which You gave to our fathers.

41 Moreover, concerning a stranger who is not of Your people Israel but comes from a far country for the sake of Your name [and Your active Presence]—

42 For they will hear of Your great name (Your revelation of Yourself), Your strong hand, and outstretched arm—when he shall pray in [or toward] this house,

43 Hear in heaven, Your dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger asks of You, so that all peoples of the earth may know Your name [and Your revelation of Your presence] and fear and revere You, as do Your people Israel, and may know andcomprehend that this house which I have built is called by Your Name [and contains the token of Your presence].

44 If Your people go out to battle against their enemy, wherever You shall send them, and shall pray to the Lord toward the city which You have chosen and the house that I have built for Your Name [and Your revelation of Yourself],

45 Then hear in heaven their prayer and supplication, and defend their cause andmaintain their right.

46 If they sin against You—for there is no man who does not sin—and You are angry with them and deliver them to the enemy, so that they are carried away captive to the enemy’s land, far or near;

47 Yet if they think and consider in the land where they were carried captive, and repent and make supplication to You there, saying, We have sinned and have done perversely and wickedly;

48 If they repent and turn to You with all their mind and with all their heart in the land of their enemies who took them captive, and pray to You toward their land which You gave to their fathers, the city which You have chosen, and the house which I have built for Your Name;

49 Then hear their prayer and their supplication in heaven, Your dwelling place, and defend their cause and maintain their right.

50 And forgive Your people, who have sinned against You, and all their transgressions against You, and grant them compassion before those who took them captive, that they may have pity and be merciful to them;

51 For they are Your people and Your heritage, which You brought out of Egypt, from the midst of the iron furnace.

52 Let Your eyes be open to the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel, to hearken to them in all for which they call to You.

53 For You separated them from among all the peoples of the earth to be Your heritage, as You declared through Moses Your servant when You brought our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord God.

54 When Solomon finished offering all this prayer and supplication to the Lord, he arose from before the Lord’s altar, where he had knelt with hands stretched toward heaven.

55 And he stood and blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying,

56 Blessed be the Lord, Who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised. Not one word has failed of all His good promise which He promised through Moses His servant.

57 May the Lord our God be with us as He was with our fathers; may He not leave us or forsake us,

58 That He may incline our hearts to Him, to walk in all His ways and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His precepts which He commanded our fathers.

59 Let these my words, with which I have made supplication before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, that He may maintain the cause and right of His servant and of His people Israel as each day requires,

60 That all the earth’s people may know that the Lord is God and that there is no other.

61 Let your hearts therefore be blameless and wholly true to the Lord our God, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments, as today.

In Solomon's dedicatory prayer, he went into detail about the altar's purpose. Basically every time the people had any type of life challenge, they were to approach the altar of God. And He humbly asked God to hear and answer! God hears every prayer and sees every tear! He is waiting to hear from us. How comforting it is to embrace His love and enter into His rest!

2 Chronicles 7:1-3

Amplified Bible (AMP)

7 When Solomon had finished praying, the fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the house.

2 The priests could not enter the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord had filled the Lord’s house.

3 And when all the people of Israel saw how the fire came down and the glory of the Lord upon the house, they bowed with their faces upon the pavement and worshiped and praised the Lord, saying, For He is good, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever.

Do you wish you could experience the Glory of the Lord? Well, you can! Fire still falls! Glory still comes down! Simply fall before His altar and He will meet you there! His Fire and Glory WILL fall and cosume your sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. He will hear. He will answer. Maybe you don't understand this truth. Study it out in the Word. Study the word glory. Study Fire. These are two powerful subjects. Our God is a consumng Fire. 

"Jesus, I want to know Your Glory. I want to be consumed by Your fire. I want to spend time before Your altar. The altar of sacrifice. You are an all consuming Fire! I am weak and undone without Your Fire and Glory. I must seek Your Fire and Glory like I never have before. How I love You! How I praise Your Name! How I fear You, Jesus! I lay down my life on the altar of sacrifice. Consume my sacrifice. AMEN!"