From the Scriptures

 

I was reading in the scriptures about the dedication of the temple that King Solomon built in ancient Israel.  After the construction, which included the best materials the people had, the Lord appeared to Solomon to accept the house they had built for him.  The dedication of that temple was somewhat Pentecostal, with some of the same miraculous manifestations that accompanied other great outpourings of the spirit that are recorded in the scriptures. And Solomon worshiped at the temple and the Lord appeared to him.  Among other things, the Lord said, “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. Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place." (2 Chronicles 7:14, 15). When I read that it made me think of similar promises the Lord has made to his people, about the blessings in the land that accompany righteousness, how the Lord will bless those in their promised lands that keep his commandments as long as they keep his commandments.  But I also noticed the promise to hear the prayers and see the needs of his people who attend and worship in the Lord’s temples.  How blessed we are today to have temples.  And how blessed we are to have temples so close, so much more accessible than they were for so long.  It was a reminder of how anxious the Lord is to extend his blessing to us, how much he does to help us keep his commandments.  We really live in a marvelous age.