Day #283 - Solomon’s Temple

The Presence - A Devotional for living in Thanksgiving, Worship and Wonder

“Then King Solomon summoned into his presence at Jerusalem the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes and the chiefs of the Israelite families, to bring up the ark of the Lord’s covenant from Zion, the City of David… The priests then brought the ark of the Lord’s covenant to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim… When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the Lord. And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled his temple. Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that he would dwell in a dark cloud; I have indeed built a magnificent temple for you, a place for you to dwell forever.””

‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭8‬:‭1‬, ‭6‬, ‭10‬-‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Photo by Alexandre Boucey on Unsplash

Have you ever experienced a cloud of God’s glory?

Have you ever been in a place of worship where you couldn’t really stand up or couldn’t keep doing what you were doing? I’ve never been in a physical cloud of glory but I’ve had some pretty incredible moments in the presence of God where I felt God all around me in a supernatural way. God’s glorious presence comes upon us as a sign of His pleasure.

Solomon was able to build and complete the Temple that his father David had envisioned and prepared him to build. In 1 Kings 8, when the Ark of the Covenant was brought into the new Temple for dedication, there was a cloud of God’s glory that filled the temple. This cloud was so thick and powerful that the priests could not continue to perform their duties. Those who know “the Presence” long for these times in God’s glory where we can’t stand up, move or continue in our normal course of action.

Pastor Bill Johnson would often tell a story about Smith Wigglesworth praying with other pastors and leaders. A man heard that God’s glory would come so strongly in the room that people couldn’t stay in the room and would have to leave while Smith prayed. This man resolved in his heart he would not leave the prayer meeting, but even with his resolve he too had to leave the room along with all others because of the intensity of God’s presence.

Solomon’s Temple being dedicated was blessed by “the Presence.” Solomon had the opportunity to live out a generational blessing of being a man of God’s presence like his dad did. There is no greater legacy that we could receive or pass on in our generations then to be a person of “the Presence.” There is weighty intense glory available for us when we make our lives, homes and churches a place that God desires to dwell.

Lord God, I love Your presence. There is no one like You. Help me make my life, my home and my church a place that You desire to dwell. I want to encounter Your presence in real and tangible ways that stops me in my tracks. I want to experience Your glory and pass on this love to the next generation. In Jesus name, amen.