II Chronicles 6:40 “’Now, O my God, I pray, let Your eyes be open and Your ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place.’”

EXPECTATIONS

You really should read the entire chapter 6 of II Chronicles to get a glimpse of what is happening here. Solomon had just finished building and furnishing the Temple. God’s glory had filled it, and now Solomon is offering a prayer of dedication.

I have attended a lot of dedication ceremonies in my life. But I have never heard a prayer offered like this one. Verse 40 caught my eye though. Solomon says, “Now, O my God, I pray, let Your eyes be open and Your ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place.” That is so important! We need not even pray if we don’t believe God is looking and listening. But because we know He does we pray.

TEACHING MOMENT

Your children may ask you, “Mom/Dad, how do I know God is listening? How does He hear all the prayers of all the people all over the world at the same time?” How do you answer? You answer by telling how God has answered your prayers and the prayers of others you know. You answer by telling them the peace you get when you pray. You answer by telling them that although you don’t understand, you trust.

Each time we take a breath we don’t wonder if there is oxygen out there to breath in. We just breathe, most of the time involuntarily. We breathe knowing that the oxygen in the air around us is enough to keep us breathing. Prayer should be the same. We should pray without ceasing knowing that the Almighty God of the universe is listening. He is prepared to answer all our prayers according to His perfect Will for our lives.

Pray, believing that even before you utter the first syllable of the first word, God is listening.