The Fire and the Glory

 There is a wonderful passage of scripture in II Chronicles 7:1-7 where Solomon dedicated the Temple. The fire of God fell on that day consuming all the sacrificial offerings. The glory of God also filled the Temple that historic day. It was such a powerful experience the priests could not even enter the temple and and perform their priestly duties. When the people saw the fire and the glory, they fell on their faces declaring God was good and His lovingkindness endures forever. 

The real question to be considered is why did God send the fire and the glory? Solomon and the priests did not plan it. They did not sit around and strategize how they could manufacture the fire and glory of God to fall on them. They did not carefully craft a worship service to create the mood of fire and glory. That is what some do today. They use manmade gimmicks to imitate fire and glory. Neither did they program it. They did not have a well thought out step by step systematic plan to generate fire and glory. No prolonged studies. No sermon series. No conferences. No how to formulas or shortcuts. 

God sent the fire and glory in response to one thing. Solomon's prayer. You can read that prayer which takes up the majority of II Chronicles 6. The fire and glory came after fervent prayer. Solomon poured his heart out to God in petitioning God to have open eyes and open ears to the acts of worship in the Temple. It moved God to such action as sending the fire and the glory. 

When the people saw the fire and the glory, they bowed down on their faces in worship. In modern times we rarely see people bend their knees in public worship much less get on their faces before God. It makes me wonder if we really experience God's presence as profoundly as Solomon and his loyal subjects did that day. For all of our modern methods we cannot substitute or reproduce the power of God. From what I have discerned over the years, fire and glory come in response to prayer. Never forget that God can do more in days than we can accomplish in decades in our own abilities. 

Prayerless churches and people of God abound. Prayer meetings are old fashioned. Not in step with modern new fangled ways of worship. It is the prerequisite for fire and glory. There is something about the people humbling themselves together in passionate prayer that moves God to do extraordinary things like sending fire and glory. God moves mightily in response to importunate pleadings. 

I often pray for people in our church to get a growing hunger for God and His power. I long for that in every church in our community and around the world. We need the fire and the glory. We need the presence and power of God when we gather. May God raise His people to pray fervently and perseveringly for the fire and the glory to come. Maybe a simpler way to say that would just be to say may we prayerfully seek God to send revival.