November 17, 2025

After Solomon’s prayer to dedicate the temple, fire came down from God and consumed the burnt offerings and sacrifices. Then the glory of the Lord filled the house of the LORD. The people brought their sacrifices, along with the massive amounts that Solomon offered; there were so many that Solomon made the middle court holy so that no sacrifice was turned away. All of this happened during the fall feasts, including the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles. After he sent everyone home, while he was sleeping, God came to him in a dream or night vision and spoke to him about his prayer, the one recorded in 2 Chronicles 6. His answer to this prayer is that famous verse that nearly everyone quotes for the repentance of our nation.

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14

The turning from our wicked ways is where our country seems to have trouble; not only that, but how can we seek His face when we cannot even turn away from our sinfulness? We must pray for our government and those causing distress in our nation. Individually, we do our best to honor God, but collectively, we depend on those who’ve fallen for their own self-interest, which puts us in quite a predicament. Our best bet is that more people turn to God and follow Jesus; that’s when things will turn around.