IN TOUCH DAILY DEVOTIONAL 21 MAY 2024 BY DR. CHARLES STANLEY, TUESDAY MESSAGE
TOPIC: Will God Really Dwell on Earth?
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE: 2 Chronicles 6:18-21
18 “But will God indeed dwell with mankind on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You; how much less this house which I have built.
19 “Yet have regard to the prayer of Your servant and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to listen to the cry and to the prayer which Your servant prays before You;
20 that Your eye may be open toward this house day and night, toward the place of which You have said that You would put Your name there, to listen to the prayer which Your servant shall pray toward this place.
21 “Listen to the supplications of Your servant and of Your people Israel when they pray toward this place; hear from Your dwelling place, from heaven; hear and forgive.
The dream was a long time coming. But years after Solomon began its construction, God’s temple was finished. This magnificent structure was more than a building. It was the centerpiece of Israel’s identity—the place where the people would meet with God. There, He could live among them in a tangible way, in a place built to His specifications and befitting His glory.
In today’s passage, we can hear hope and longing in Solomon’s prayer of dedication: God, will You keep Your promises to our ancestors, to us, and to our children? The highest heavens can’t contain You—and yet, is it possible You will dwell here among us?
In some ways, this is our age-old question. In the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve communed with God. In the wilderness, as the liberated slaves journeyed to the Promised Land, they erected a tabernacle, a dwelling place for God among their own tents. In Jesus, we believe God came in the flesh to live—to “tabernacle”—with us. And in Revelation, God makes the incredible pronouncement that His dwelling will be with mankind forever (Revelation 21:3).
This hope may seem unbelievable, but God’s Word is true and unshakeable—a cause for joy. For now “we know in part,” but a perfect day will come when we will be united with our Lord and “know fully,” as we have been “fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:9; 1 Corinthians 13:12).
Bible in One Year: 2 Chronicles 32-34
Thought for Today: The One who created all of heaven and earth chooses to be where we are—so we can know Him better.
For more biblical teaching and resources from Dr. Charles Stanley, please visit www.intouch.org.